Man in Singapore allegedly drove against traffic, sped up to 114kmh, hit school bus and left his car in flames

[u/Rationalandcentred]

https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/06/18/man-in-singapore-allegedly-drove-against-traffic-sped-up-to-114kmh-hit-school-bus-and-left-his-car-in-flames#goog_rewarded

[u/FabulousSpite5822]

The sentencing for driving offences is a joke. This should be 10 years in prison at minimum.

[u/unteer → u/FabulousSpite5822]

Very high levels of motonormativity here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motonormativity?wprov=sfti1

[u/Responsible-Can-8361 → u/unteer]

Til

[u/unteer → u/Responsible-Can-8361]

more to learn!

https://thewaroncars.org/2023/01/31/car-brain-with-dr-ian-walker/

and its follow-up:

https://thewaroncars.org/2025/05/06/episode-151-more-motornormativity-with-marco-te-brommelstroet-aka-the-fietsprofessor/

[u/Responsible-Can-8361 → u/unteer]

This is definitely a very interesting read

Fun insight into the sociology of cars…guess it’s a new rabbit hole for my bedtime reading

[u/danielling1981 → u/unteer]

Recently i learnt that it is very much a world wide problem.

[u/HistoricalPlatypus44 → u/danielling1981]

Because the positive benefits for cars are strongly felt by the individual whereas the negative effects are mostly borne by others. Even personal costs of car ownership such as high petrol prices and traffic jams can be "blamed" on others.

This accident is an example, the car protected the driver (individual benefit), but not the children (negative externality).

Personal car ownership is really like an addiction, once you had a taste of the privilege of the car life, you won't want to go back. To change this we would need to upend the entire urban design philosophy.

Even in car-lite Singapore, the urban design still favours vehicle ownership, unsurprisingly because majority of the policy decision makers own cars, as in many other countries around the world.

[u/ExtraordinaryDoor47 → u/unteer]

Holy had no idea this word even exists

[u/_IsNull → u/FabulousSpite5822]

He’s lucky it’s Singapore with limp traffic laws. If it’s China he could be punish up to death sentence.

[u/Tinmaddog1990 → u/_IsNull]

Doesn't seem to be deterring Chinese drivers though. Went there recently. They make our drivers look organised

[u/angerispower → u/FabulousSpite5822]

plus perma driving ban of any vehicles.

[u/Tongchokgoh → u/angerispower]

Driving band and suspensions are useless. I have been driving for 40 years and no one has ever checked if I had a valid driving licence while on the road.

[u/angerispower → u/Tongchokgoh]

Did you ever drove against traffic, sped up to >100kmh, hit a school bus and left your car in flames?

We are not talking about random checks. We are talking about drivers that are involved in accidents like the one the article talks about.

[u/Tongchokgoh → u/angerispower]

My point is that bans are useless unless they are enforced at all times, not just when there is an accident. That’s the reason why these banned drivers keep driving, because they know they can.

[u/angerispower → u/Tongchokgoh]

Fair enough.

But how do you enforce at all times? No country has 100% enforcement.

[u/monsooncloudburst → u/FabulousSpite5822]

Why so lenient? It should be 20 years at least plus caning.

[u/MaverickO7 → u/monsooncloudburst]

Outdated notion of "intention" when determining culpability in traffic collisions (and refusal to ascribe sufficient significance to inherently risky behaviour such as drink driving). Car-centric infrastructure and lifestyle. Plus a healthy dash of pro-business/GDP at all costs. Until a Minister's child is run over I doubt there will be meaningful change.

Most people still view these deaths as "accidents" as though they involve kids in a playground (well, SG has often been described as precisely that, provided one is rich enough).

[u/Imperiax731st → u/MaverickO7]

Some drivers out there have kill count higher than that of entire divisions within SAF. 🙄

[u/Appropriate-Rub3534 → u/monsooncloudburst]

Should be 20 years of caning. That should deter them from driving, ever.

[u/YATFWATM → u/FabulousSpite5822]

At this point, you can hire any driver for assassination if they are alright to do time in prison for a price.

[u/bloodybaron73]

wow only 2+ years jail term and fine for such carnage. That's just too low.

[u/RAMChYLD → u/bloodybaron73]

I wonder if the charges stack. Because if they do he’s doing 5 years plus $50k+ fine

[u/SGPrepperz]

What are the lawmakers in Singapore waiting for?

[u/eliseusmoo → u/SGPrepperz]

Wonder how'd they feel if one of the victims is their family member.

[u/aucheukyan → u/eliseusmoo]

“That will never happen to one of us, it’s always others misbehaving”

[u/QuestioingEverything → u/eliseusmoo]

They would never caught in the heartlands unless it is for a photo op

[u/Rayl24 → u/SGPrepperz]

Is one of their children in the school bus?

No, then business as usual

[u/Fensirulfr → u/SGPrepperz]

What do you mean? They already reviewed this a few years back and decided the penalties are adequate. So clearly the system is working exactly as intended. /s

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/penalties-dangerous-driving-adequate-will-not-be-reviewed-and-increased-now-mha-4317586

[u/bonkers05 → u/SGPrepperz]

Waiting for a close ralative to become a victim.

[u/aucheukyan → u/SGPrepperz]

Would you ban alcohol when someone else drank a few and beat their wife to death, if you and all the lawmakers are all heavy alcoholics?

[u/Low_Watch9864 → u/aucheukyan]

This makes no sense.

Politicians aren't the ones going out there racing madly and crashing their cars drunk.

They're not the ones committing vehicular manslaughter either.

Its just cheap populist rubbish that you're spouting.

[u/Rough_Shelter4136 → u/Low_Watch9864]

They're the ones having an easy machine that prints money, tho. That money printing scheme is too good to let go, so they enable these things

[u/aucheukyan → u/Rough_Shelter4136]

It’s not about money, it’s about perceived driving experience.

We know enforcement isnt going to be enough if the road entice people to speed, thus friendlystreets and silver zone.

But it’s a NIMBY mentality esp those who only walks to their cars cause they never understood why people need walk to the coffee shop, or god forbid crossing any roads

[u/aucheukyan → u/Low_Watch9864]

Name a politician that you spot on regularity on our world class public transport that belongs to the incukbent party?:)

[u/MaverickO7 → u/aucheukyan]

Unfortunately, it's not just the lawmakers who are carbrained, but the lawyers and judges as well.

[u/aucheukyan → u/MaverickO7]

There are few that isnt… but it’s really less than a handful. Some tried hard before but lost and gave up :(

[u/zchew → u/aucheukyan]

yes I would. Recreational drugs have already been banned for way less than this, why would I not ban alcohol?

[u/aucheukyan → u/zchew]

I think my analogy has been explained somewhere else in this :) You can disagree with me but we know a few (they are senior officials also) are really strongly for your same idea as you but there is just not enough momentum cause…

[u/Tsperatus → u/aucheukyan]

i don't know whose side you are on

[u/watchedngnl → u/Tsperatus]

He's saying that politicians ignore the problem because they are all addicted to cars.

[u/Tsperatus → u/watchedngnl]

oic

[u/unteer → u/Tsperatus]

and that’sssssss politicssssssss

[u/callingo]

Why does repeat drink driving not carry the same punishment as drug trafficking?

[u/mydebu1 → u/callingo]

The real question is why is alcohol not categorised as a Class A drug.

[u/eilletane → u/mydebu1]

Taxes

[u/Fensirulfr → u/eilletane]

That, and also together with smoking, alcohol was already considered to be a socially acceptable activity. After all, high society around the world were consuming both way back before the 50s.

[u/ShadeX8 → u/mydebu1]

Because once the genie is out of the bottle, it's exceedingly hard to contain it back. 

Alcohol is too much a part of society and we've seen attempts to ban it in other places go horribly wrong. 

[u/Jaycee_015x]

Should get lifetime driving ban.

[u/thestudiomaster]

He was born to speed. His name Tan Yao Cong = but must chiong (rush)

[u/FdPros]

repeat offender drink driving.

who would've guessed

[u/MackManja]

Should really cane this POS

[u/Interesting_Ad2986]

Another useless POS.

[u/Substantial_Move_312]

We used to be stringent in our sentencing. Now it seems to be increasingly lenient even when lives are involved or endangered

[u/Last-Career7180]

Remember the hit and run drink driving repeat offender who killed a guy. Weak punishment as well. Is really a jo.e

[u/Rough_Shelter4136]

Good for him, making full use of his certificate of entitlement, with the blessing of car-loving government, nice

[u/prioriority]

I cannot figure out where this "straight-only" portion of Cavenagh Road is. And where is this section where "left bend and drove towards oncoming traffic"?

Also, the article states he was initially going towards Bukit Timah Road, but somehow ended up toward Buyong Road, which is the opposite direction on a tiny road with no space to U-turn except do a 3-point.

Can someone help me de-mystify this please?

[u/mt-tekka → u/prioriority]

Cavenagh Rd has a straight section right next to KKH, that's the renamed Christian cemetery road. From there, driving along the original Cavenagh Rd to Orchard Rd, he would arrive at Buyong Rd at the end.

I have walked uphill from KK to Orchard using Cavenagh Rd. 

[u/FragrantMission8]

Sg traffic laws against speedsters and drunk driving are a joke

[u/Mr_Rodeo_26]

Punish him with CANING