57-year-old Uber driver Mdm Tan had just picked up at passenger, Charles, at Changi Airport.
The time was 1am, and she was to send Charles to his home in Bukit Timah.
While driving along the CTE towards the AYE, Mdm Tan realised she had missed the exit to Bukit Timah.
That’s when she came up with the ingenious idea of reversing her black Mercedes on the highway, not once but TWICE, so she could make the exit!
Charles, naturally, was frightened for his life – he saw cars and motorcycles whizzing past at the time.
Then, just as Mdm Tan reversed for the second time, disaster struck.
A silver Hyundai taxi crashed into her car.
That taxi was driver by a 58-year-old uncle, who was driving at about 90-100 km/h.
The impact caused Mdm Tan’s black Mercedes to surge forward, crashing through the chevron divider and landing up on the other side of the highway.
Mdm Tan, Charles and the taxi uncle were wearing their seatbelts and suffered minor injuries.
But the taxi uncle’s two Irish passengers weren’t so lucky.
Both had to be sent to hospital, and one died en route due to serious injuries.
The incident took place in May last year.
Mdm Tan has been jailed for 4 weeks for her reckless driving antics, and has had her driving licence suspended for 5 years.
The taxi uncle has been jailed for 3 weeks, and slapped with a similar 5-year driving licence suspension because he didn’t pay attention to the traffic situation in front of him and didn’t make sure his passengers wore seat belts.
