A 41-year-old taxi driver has been sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment and banned from holding any driving licence for five years after running a red light and crashing into another taxi, injuring the driver and her passenger.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, dashcam footage played in court showed the defendant, Loo Jun Jie, driving along Jalan Kayu toward the Tampines Expressway (TPE) when he ignored a red light at a crossroads junction.
The traffic signal had been red for at least seven seconds.
Source: Google Maps
Loo’s taxi struck a yellow cab approaching from his right, spinning it and leaving it facing against traffic.
The female driver of the yellow taxi suffered a fractured rib, while her passenger sustained abrasions and dizziness.
Both were taken to the hospital.
The cabbie was discharged the same day and granted 14 days’ medical leave, while the passenger received three days of medical leave.
Loo faced two charges under the Road Traffic Act and pleaded guilty to one on Tuesday (9 June), with the other taken into consideration during sentencing.
In mitigation, his lawyer said the injuries were unlikely to cause permanent harm and argued the defendant had been distracted by her passenger’s conversation.
The judge sided with the prosecution, noting Loo’s egregious failure to keep a proper lookout and the great potential danger to other road users.
Also read: Motorcyclist t-bones car after allegedly running red light in Hougang, gets flung off motorcycle
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.