Trailer truck makes illegal u-turn, driving in wrong direction at MCE entrance

SINGAPORE — Motorists on the East Coast Parkway (ECP) expressway were forced to come to a stop on Friday morning (March 17) when the driver of a trailer truck made an illegal manoeuvre at the entrance to the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE).

The truck cut across two lanes at the exit and a chevron, and drove in the wrong direction as he steered the vehicle onto the ECP.

No injuries were reported. Police have arrested the 32-year-old truck driver for dangerous driving.

A video of the incident posted on road safety community Facebook page Beh Chia Lor showed motorists slowing to a halt as the trailer cut across their path.

The trailer truck belongs to Rio Logistics. When contacted, company’s business development manager, Mr Patrick Chan, told TODAY the driver will face “serious actions regardless of any reason he may have for driving against the traffic and jeopardising public safety”.

“At all times, we emphasise road safety and to abide traffic regulations with our drivers on the road,” Mr Chan added.

Mr Samuel Lee, who captured the video posted on Beh Chia Lor, honked at the obstructing large vehicle as it made its manoevure. He told TODAY the driver should have been more considerate by stopping and calling the authorities for help even if he had found out that he was on the wrong lane.

“Two wrongs doesn’t make a right. It’s very dangerous for the large vehicle to make that manoevure without marshalls. He should have called for help.

“(It was) good that most cars started to slow down when they saw the (truck) moving in the wrong direction. The other road he was driving into was also not experiencing heavy traffic due to the school holidays… But many things could have gone wrong,” said Mr Lee who had just dropped off his wife and daughter before he was met with the incident.

He added that the incident is “unsettling” in the wake of the recent spate of fatal accidents at the expressways.

On Monday, two men were killed and six injured after a van crashed into nine motorcycles parked under the Seletar Expressway flyover along Bukit Timah Expressway. On Thursday, a 57-year-old motorcyclist travelling on Kranji Expressway died after he was struck by a tyre that fell off a trailer truck. 

For driving dangerously, the driver could lose his driving licence and be fined up to S$3,000 and/or jailed for up to a year. If he is a second-time offender, he could be fined up to S$5,000 and/or jailed up to two years.