fine of just over $10 - that is what it would have cost him if
he had driven past the ERP gantry without a CashCard.
And he did it while he was in the extreme right lane of a busy
expressway.
Screech. The driver in the car behind managed to brake and stop in
time.
But not a motorcycle rider behind the two cars.
The bike slammed into the second car and the rider was flung into
the air, landing some 20m away.
The rider, a woman, ended up in intensive care.
The collision happened on the CTE around 7.50pm on Wednesday. It is
believed that the first driver was trying to slot his CashCard into
his in-vehicle unit.
He stopped his silver Mitsubishi just before the ERP gantry near
the Braddell exit, going towards Ang Mo Kio.
The ERP charge at that time was 50 cents. The charge ends at
8pm.
The driver in the car behind braked hard.
Miss Tiong Zhen Cheng, 32, who was riding her red 400cc Honda
motorbike, couldn't react in time.
The IT officer was flung into the air.
She landed in the middle of the road - 20m away.
Thankfully, she was not hit by other motorists, who managed to
avoid running over her.
The police said that Miss Tiong was unconscious when she was taken
to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she was put in the intensive care
unit.
Miss Tiong had finished work and was on her way to her Woodlands
home when the accident happened.
Her mother, Madam Ding Zhen Zhi, 55, told The New Paper that her
daughter suffered blood clots in her brain and had also dislocated
her pelvic bone.
Said Madam Ding, a housewife: 'The doctor said that she also
suffered from temporary memory loss because of the impact.
'Her first words when she regained consciousness this morning was
'Why am I in hospital?''
Miss Tiong's bike. -- GAVIN FOO
Madam Ding said that her daughter does not even remember that she
had been involved in an accident.
'She was complaining about pain in her pelvic area. The doctors are
still monitoring her condition before deciding if she needs to
undergo an operation,' said Madam Ding.
'We don't want to ask her too many questions about the accident
because we don't want to upset her.'
Madam Ding said that Miss Tiong had been riding a motorbike for
about seven years, despite her family's objections.
She added that her daughter also has a car licence and preferred to
drive a car, although she doesn't own one.
'She doesn't like riding a motorbike. But she was in the sales line
previously and her job required her to travel to meet clients
often, sometimes late into the night,' said Madam Ding.
'She couldn't afford to buy a car, so she chose to ride a motorbike
because of the convenience.'
Madam Ding added that just about a month ago, she and her husband
had again tried to persuade their daughter to stop riding and sell
her motorbike.
'She had just changed her job to a desk-bound one, so we told her
there was no need to ride a motorbike,' said Madam Ding.
'She is very independent and has a mind of her own. But I think
that after this accident, she would not mind taking public
transport.'
Miss Tiong has been separated from her husband for five years and
is in the process of finalising her divorce.
Her boyfriend, Mr Sean Lee, a shipping executive, was in Kuala
Lumpur on a business trip and rushed back to Singapore late
Wednesday night when he heard the news.
Mr Lee said that the family has not been told by the police how the
accident happened.
Said Mr Lee: 'So at this point, it's not fair to blame the driver
of the first car.
'We also want to know how and why it happened. But she's still in
ICU and we don't want to press her too much about the
accident.'
The drivers of the two cars travelling in front of Miss Tiong are
both men in their 40s. Both had stayed on at the scene to help with
the police investigations.
There are about 360,000 instances of motorists passing ERP gantries
without a CashCard or sufficient money in it each year, according
to the Land Transport Authority. The figure includes both cars and
motorcyclists.
Motorists who pass ERP gantries without a CashCard or have
insufficient money in it are charged a $10 administrative fee and
the outstanding ERP charge. But if they fail to pay up within 14
days, they will be fined $70.
Witnesses of the accident should call the Traffic Police Hotline at
1800-547-1818.
