Driver who ran red light and hit motorcyclist has jail term tripled after prosecution’s appeal

20/03/2026 3 Views

SINGAPORE – A driver who ran a red light and injured a motorcyclist has had his jail term increased after an appeal by the prosecution for a tougher sentence.

Johnson Tan Wee Kiat, 51, was initially sentenced by the district court to one week’s jail on Oct 14, 2025, after pleading guilty to one count of driving without reasonable consideration.

This decision was overturned by the High Court, which increased his jail term to three weeks.

Tan was also disqualified from holding and obtaining all classes of driving licences for five years.

In a written judgment on March 18, Justice Christopher Tan said the district judge did not accord sufficient weight to the fact that the traffic light had already turned red for five seconds before Tan made the right turn.

Said Justice Tan: “This meant that there was a relatively sizeable duration within which the respondent could have come to notice that the traffic light was red. Yet, he completely failed to register this critical indicator.”

Justice Tan agreed that the relatively prolonged period of inattention warranted a heavier sentence.

He said: “Comparing a driver who beats a red light after it has just turned red with one who beats it after it has turned red for an extended duration, the latter is clearly more culpable.”

Court records showed that Tan was driving along Ganges Avenue towards Alexandra Road on Feb 12, 2024.

He had turned right from Ganges Avenue into Delta Road when he collided into the motorcyclist, who was riding in Delta Road towards Lower Delta Road. He fell off his motorcycle.

Tan stopped his vehicle and helped the victim to the grass patch beside the road. He also called the police and emergency medical services to report the accident.

The victim, who was taken to Singapore General Hospital, was given 21 days’ hospitalisation leave.

Justice Tan noted the motorcyclist’s main injury was a fracture on his second right rib, which is located in a vulnerable part of his body.

He said the other injuries, comprising superficial abrasions and tenderness on the right shoulder, appeared to be minor.

In their appeal, the prosecution, which asked for three to four months’ jail, argued that there were other vehicles lined up behind the victim and they could have run him over while he lay on the road.

Justice Tan, however, disagreed with the prosecution’s argument that the district judge had failed to place sufficient weight on the potential harm to the victim.

He said: “While it is true that there were other vehicles behind the victim, the video footage showed that these other vehicles were largely stationary at the time of the accident and only just about to move off.”

He also acknowledged Tan’s conduct after the accident.

He said: “Upon colliding into the victim, the respondent had stopped promptly, moved the victim to safety and insisted on calling for an ambulance (although the victim initially refused).”

The number of red-light running accidents jumped from 96 cases in 2024 to 122 cases in 2025. Such offences resulted in seven fatal accidents in 2025, one more than in 2024.

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