E-scooter rider faces 3 charges after causing fatal collision with elderly cyclist in Bedok

SINGAPORE — A 20-year-old e-scooter rider who was involved in an accident that killed an elderly cyclist in Bedok was given three charges on Monday (Nov 11).

Hung Kee Boon, a Malaysian who is a Permanent Resident here, faces a charge of causing the death of 65-year-old Ong Bee Eng by a rash act and two charges under the Active Mobility Act for riding a non-compliant and unregistered personal mobility device (PMD).

Under the Land Transport Authority (LTA) regulations, PMDs cannot exceed 20kg in weight or 70cm in width to be allowed on public paths. There is also a maximum speed of 25km/h.

But court documents stated that Hung was allegedly riding an e-scooter that weighed 44.2kg and had a handlebar measuring 72.5cm. He was on a cycling path near Block 539 Bedok North Street 3 at about 10.23pm on Sept 21 when he collided into Madam Ong near an intersection.

He was said to be riding at a speed of at least 26 to 28km/h.

Madam Ong fell into a coma after the accident and died of her injuries four days later, making her the first casualty of a collision with an e-scooter rider here.

Hung took bail of S$15,000 and will return to court on Nov 25 for a further mention.

If convicted of committing the rash act, Hung could be jailed for up to five years, fined, or both.

For riding a non-compliant PMD, he could be jailed for up to another three months, fined up to S$5,000, or both. And for riding an unregistered PMD, he could face up to three more months of jail, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.

The case was cited in Parliament last Monday when the Government announced a ban on the use of e-scooters on all footpaths from Nov 5. Riders may now use such devices only on cycling paths and park connector networks.

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Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min had said that the move came as there had been “more severe” accidents, while noting that many riders have themselves suffered severe injuries, including a few who had lost their lives.

The LTA said last week that there were about 184 reported off-road accidents involving PMD riders between Jan 1 and Sept 30 this year.

Of these, about 64 per cent occurred on footpaths, while 8 per cent took place on cycling and shared paths, and park connector networks.

In all, there had been three fatalities, two of which involved PMD riders who skidded on footpaths in separate incidents while one involved a cyclist who collided with a PMD rider on a cycling or shared path, it added.