Chinese national sentenced to 10 months for fatal collision with 18-year-old cyclist in Singapore
Yuan Changqing, a 38-year-old tour bus driver, was sentenced to 10 months in prison for careless driving that killed an 18-year-old cyclist in Singapore. The incident occurred on 12 July 2023 at Yishun Avenue 2. Yuan, who failed to reduce speed during a turn, was also banned from driving for eight years.
SINGAPORE: A 38-year-old Chinese national, Yuan Changqing, who worked as a tour bus driver, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after admitting to a charge of careless driving that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old Malaysian cyclist in Singapore.
The fatal accident occurred at the intersection of Yishun Avenue 2 and Yishun Ring Road on 12 July 2023.
Yuan failed to reduce his speed while making a discretionary left turn, leading to a collision with the cyclist, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
In addition to his prison sentence, Yuan was disqualified from holding any class of driving licenses for eight years.
The court was informed that Yuan had previous traffic violations, including two instances of careless driving and one of speeding between 2019 and 2021.
Yuan attributed these earlier offences to insufficient rest time due to a demanding work schedule imposed by his employer, Leisure Frontier, a local bus chartering company.
Yuan explained that during the Covid-19 pandemic, his company required drivers to transport foreign workers to their dormitories, which led to the speeding incident.
In court, footage from Yuan’s vehicle camera was shown, capturing the moment of the accident.
The pedestrian crossing signal was flashing with six seconds remaining when Yuan made the turn without slowing down.
He only stopped after hearing a noise from the bus’s rear left tire and noticing the victim on the ground, bleeding from the head. Yuan then called the police.
An autopsy confirmed that the cyclist died from head and chest injuries consistent with those sustained in a motor vehicle accident.
When given the opportunity to speak in his defense, Yuan expressed his remorse, stating, "I wish to express my apologies to the family of the deceased. It’s too late to say anything else now."
For a first offence of careless driving causing death, the penalties can include up to three years in prison, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
