S’pore BMW Driver Who Switched License Plates At Petrol Station in JB Fined RM8,000 ($2,630)

There are many who are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to do things that they are passionate about.

We have Steve Jobs who will stop at nothing, even if he’s a tyrant, to achieve the iPhone.

Or Jack Ma who failed a thousand times but is now one of the most powerful men in China.

And on a smaller scale, we have this aspiring young BMW driver who decided nothing will stop him from speeding.

Not even if it’s the laws.

Man Spotted Switching Out License Plates At JB Petrol Station

The driver of a Singapore-registered BMW 320, license plate SLX27E, was seen swapping out car plate numbers on 18 May 2019.

This incident happened at a petrol station in Gelang Patah, about a 10-minute drive from Tuas Checkpoint.

He swapped it to a yellow plate SKD2777C which was registered to a Hyundai Elantra.

The reason for doing this? Because he likes to speed in Malaysia.

Yeah, you heard that right. He deliberately swapped his license plates so that he can ignore traffic laws and commit a crime in another country. And THEN blame it on another driver.

And according to information supplied by one brilliant online detective, this isn’t his first time speeding.

But His Actions Have Caught Up To Him

According to TNP, the driver, Tan Hock Lai, 44, has pleaded guilty in a Johor Bahru court. He was fined RM 8,000.

Which is ironic because if he had not switched and paid both fines, it’ll only cost him RM 300.

Or even better, don’t speed at all.

Perhaps this explains why a vehicle can get fines in Malaysia even if the car wasn’t driven into Malaysia before.

Someone out there might be pinning their crimes on innocent motorists.

Don’t Try This in Singapore Though

You might be able to get away with swapping license plates in Malaysia with a fine, but it’s more serious in Singapore.

If you are caught displaying a forged number plate in Singapore, you can get a fine of up to $5,000, up to one-year jail term, or both.

A Ferrari driver caught using another car’s license plate was fined S$5000 and sent to jail for two weeks, though jail time can be up to a year.