PMD That Killed Elderly at Bedok North Wasn’t Just Speeding at an Alleged 50kmh & Overweight; It Wasn’t Registered, Too

Nowadays, it’s no longer surprising to read about yet another PMD accident in the news. I’m sure that many of you would have heard of the most recent one, involving an elderly lady who was cycling and a 20-year-old e-scooter rider.

Unfortunately, the lady, who had been in a coma since the accident, passed away on Wednesday, 25 September 2019.

It’s bad enough that the PMD rider was speeding when he wasn’t supposed to be. On top of that, LTA has just revealed that the device was unregistered as well.

But before that…

What Happened

In case you’re not too sure about the details of the incident, here’s a summary of what happened.

Mdm Ong Bee Eng was riding her bicycle home at about 10.30pm on Saturday, 21 September 2019, when an e-scooter travelling at a very high speed collided into her.

She was taken to Changi General Hospital, along with the 20-year-old e-scooter rider, who was conscious throughout. Mdm Ong was placed on life support on Sunday and she passed away a few days ago.

The police said that they were alerted to the accident on Saturday near Block 539 Bedok North Street 3.

The e-scooter rider was arrested and the police reclassified the case as causing death by rash act, following Mdm Ong’s passing.

The offender could be jailed up to five years, a fine, or both.

PMD Was A Non-Compliant E-Scooter

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has revealed that the PMD involved in the accident had actually exceeded the prescribed weight and width limits for use on public paths.

Now, we all know that PMDs can be found almost everywhere and they are used for various different reasons. However, there are certain rules regarding their weight and speed limits that riders have to abide by.

And when they don’t, accidents like these tend to happen.

In this case, LTA described the PMD as an “unregistered device that should not have been used on public paths”.

LTA regulations state that all e-scooters need to be registered with the authority, and they cannot exceed 20kg in weight or 70cm in width, in order to be allowed on public paths.

There’s also a maximum speed of 25kmh, and 10kmh on footpaths.

According to an eyewitness, the PMD could have been travelling up to 50 kmh, but the LTA and police have not confirmed the speed.

LTA’s investigation of this incident will “potentially disclose an offence of riding a non-compliant PMD on a public path”.

“We have zero tolerance towards those who show flagrant disregard for our regulations and endanger public safety,” said LTA.

Riding a non-compliant PMD carries a jail time of up to three months, or a fine up to $5,000, or both.