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Student Jailed for Driving Dad’s BMW to Speed in KPE During Circuit Breaker

2022-06-22 , 8:15 pm

When thinking about the Circuit Breaker that happened in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us would probably recall spending our time making dalgona coffee, trying to brew our own bubble tea and staying at home with the company of Zoom calls.

And of course, most of us didn’t leave our houses except for essential purposes.

But those definitely weren’t the most exciting parts of the Circuit Breaker for a group of men, and they’re paying the price for that now.

Men Caught Speeding Along KPE During Circuit Breaker

Back in May 2020 while the Circuit Breaker was still ongoing, a group of drivers were seen speeding through a tunnel along the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE).

A video recorded by the in-car camera belonging to another vehicle in the tunnel was later uploaded on the SG Road Vigilante – SGRV Facebook page.

According to the caption in the video, the cars were racing along the tunnel at KPE towards the Tampines Expressway (TPE) at around 1.30am that day.

“Formula One in KPE.…” the caption read.

After the video went viral, eight people were arrested by the police afterwards for being a part of the group.

And just yesterday (21 June), one of the drivers involved was jailed and fined after he drove his father’s car to participate in the night drive.

Man Sentenced to Jail for Driving Father’s Car

Yesterday (21 June), Chen Zi Hao, a university student, pleaded guilty to two charges: violating COVID-19 regulations by meeting others to socialise and driving in a dangerous manner under the Road Traffic Act.

He was sentenced to a week’s jail and fined $4,000, and will be banned from holding or obtaining any driving licences for the next two years.

What Happened that Night: Route of the Night Drive

According to court proceedings, Chen, 25, met up with his friend who had asked him previously if he would like to take part in a night drive.

Chen drove his father’s black BMW 523i car to meet his friend that night.

The duo then travelled to an industrial building in Woodlands, which already had four to five cars parked there.

The night drive began at around 12.30am, when Chen and eight or more other cars drove off together.

After that, the group reached. the McDonald’s outlet located along West Coast Highway. Over there, at least two other cars joined the convoy before they continued driving.

The convoy then proceeded to drive across various highways, including the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Marine Coastal Expressway (MCE) and KPE before it exited on TPE.

Chen’s Car Sped at Almost Twice of the Speed Limit

It was also revealed that the convoy sped through the MCE and KPE tunnel, which is 11km long, during their night drive.

While the speed limit was 80km/h, surveillance footage showed that Chen was speeding with his father’s car at 154km/h instead, almost two times the speed limit.

Reactions from Various Parties After Incident

After the group was caught speeding, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) came up with a speed analysis report regarding the group’s speeding.

The report revealed that that apart from Chen, there were at least eight other cars that were speeding while driving along the tunnel as well.

The cars drove along the tunnel one after another across multiple lanes.

In addition to that, another driver in the area contacted the police after seeing the convoy in the tunnel, concerned that their driving might have “almost caused an accident”.

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For flouting Covid-19 regulations, Chen could have been penalised with up to six months imprisonment and a maximum fine of $10,000.

For driving at a speed that was dangerous to the public, he could have been slapped with a maximum jail term of 12 months, a maximum fine of $5,000, or both.

Additionally, the court could have disqualified Chen from holding or obtaining a driving licence for life, or any other period of time that the court deemed fit.

Another Driver From the Meet-Up Sentenced Last Year

Prior to Chen’s sentencing, another driver from the group was also jailed and fined last year.

Yeo Jing Cheng, a car dealer, was jailed and fined last year after pleading guilty to similar offences as a member of the convoy.

After he saw the video uploaded to SG Road Vigilante – SGRV’s Facebook page, he even went to the extent of removing the GT-wing spoiler, an accessory that is attached to the boot lid of cards, on his white Volkswagen Jetta.

He then lied to the police and initially pretended that he was not part of the convoy.

Yeo was also found guilty of organising a “car meet-up” in March 2020.

At that point in time, the COVID-19 restrictions only allowed a maximum of ten people per social group, but 150 cars ended up attending the meet-up.

The group held a speed race and were soon caught by the Traffic Police afterwards.