Incident Involving Bus At Yishun Road Leaves 3 Passengers Injured
Many factors could contribute to negligent driving, but in the case of Shifuddin, a 42-year-old bus captain, his lack of sleep led to errant actions which resulted in an accident in Yishun in 2021.
Having only slept for four hours, the bus captain who started his shift at 5.30 am ended up in an accident that same afternoon.
Upon approaching a stop near Yishun Street 31, Shifuddin dozed off for a few seconds and crashed into a bus stop.
Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook
Three passengers sustained various injuries, with one suffering a broken arm and strained back.
Shifuddin is set to serve a 12-week jail sentence and faces a five-year licence suspension.
Bus captain dozes off at work due to lack of sleep
According to Shin Min Daily News, Shifuddin returned home on 7 Jun 2021 at 10pm, just hours before the start of his next shift.
He allegedly struggled to fall asleep at first and only dozed off at 11.30pm, waking up just four hours later at 3.30am.
Shifuddin then started his shift at 5.30am on 8 Jun.
While driving along his route near Yishun Street 31, the bus captain dozed off at about 2.47pm.
Source: Google Maps
Dashcam footage inside the bus showed that he had closed his eyes for three seconds.
Although short, that small window was apparently enough for Shifuddin to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a bus stop bollard.
3 passengers suffer injuries
As a result of his lapse of concentration, three bus passengers suffered various injuries from the crash.
One of them had a broken arm and strained back, while a 53-year-old woman suffered facial fractures after colliding with the seat in front of her.
A 34-year-old man reportedly opted not to get in an ambulance and sought medical treatment at a clinic instead. He suffered cuts to his lips.
Bus captain resigns following accident in Yishun
Following the incident, the prosecution had asked the judge to sentence the bus captain to 10 years in jail for his negligence and lack of sleep.
Hearing this, the bus captain pleaded for a more lenient sentence as he did not have enough time to rest between shifts.
In response, an SBS Transit spokesperson shared that the company has an automated shift arrangement system that ensures drivers have at least nine hours of rest.
He further said that SBS Transit would remind their bus captains to have enough breaks to concentrate on driving.
Shifuddin has since allegedly resigned from his position as bus captain after two years with SBS Transit.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News on Facebook and Google Maps.
