S$800 fine for cyclist who spat on car windscreen after driver stopped past stop-line

SINGAPORE — A 54-year-old man was fined S$800 on Wednesday (Dec 22) for spitting on a car windscreen in a road rage incident.

Rozo Yorick Pierre Louis, a Singapore permanent resident from France, was cycling in the River Valley area when he grew angry and frustrated that the motorist had gone past the stop-line at a traffic junction.

He pleaded guilty to a single charge under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act of spitting in a public road.

The court heard that the incident happened on July 8 this year at about 9am. The driver had stopped at the junction of Irwell Bank Road and River Valley Road when the traffic light turned red.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Esther Wong told the court that because of the position of the car, he had inconvenienced pedestrians who were crossing the road.

While cycling home, Rozo rode on the pedestrian crossing and gestured at the driver to reverse his car when a female pedestrian was crossing as well.

When the motorist did not see the gesture and failed to reverse, Rozo spat on the car windscreen as he cycled past.

The incident was captured on an in-car camera and the footage was shared on citizen journalism site Stomp.

The prosecutor sought the fine imposed, acknowledging that Rozo had cooperated with the authorities and pleaded guilty.

However, she argued that this had happened during the Covid-19 pandemic when Rozo could have exposed pedestrians to the risk of an infectious disease.

Those in the car could also have been exposed upon leaving the vehicle and coming into close proximity with his saliva, DPP Wong added.

Rozo, who was not represented by a lawyer, did not have anything to say in mitigation.

First-time offenders who spit on a public road can be fined up to S$1,000 and repeat offenders can be fined up to double that amount.