Car saleswoman said he took a corner at very high speed; she had
to tell him to slow down
THE 24-year-old driver of a Mazda MX-5 that went horribly out of
control during a test drive last weekend, killing a young
saleswoman in a high-speed three-car crash, had taken another
saleswoman on a white-knuckle ride just a few months before.
The saleswoman, who formerly worked for BMW, said she was used to
clients driving fast, but this particular customer crossed the
line.
'It was a very short test drive in the Leng Kee area and I had to
tell him to slow down,' said the 30-something saleswoman, who did
not want either herself or her current employer to be named.
'He took a corner at a very high speed. I would describe his
driving as aggressive and I seldom use that term on a
customer.'
The test drive 'did not leave me with a good impression', she
added.
The Straits Times understands the driver is a warehouse supervisor
whose father recently bought him a high-performance Fiat Punto
HGT.
On the day of the accident, he had accompanied a friend to try out
the MX-5 at the Mazda showroom in MacPherson Road, and had no
intention of buying the car.
He could not be contacted.
The police would not confirm his identity, merely saying the driver
of the wrecked car was 'out on bail and under investigation'.
The accident happened along Upper Paya Lebar Road last Saturday at
5.55pm. The two-seater convertible flew over the road divider,
smashed head-on into a black BMW, flipped over it and came crashing
down into a van in the other lane.
Ms He Xueli, a 22-year-old Mazda saleswoman who was just four
months into the job, was seated next to the man in the silver car.
She was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital but died there an hour
later.
Five people in the BMW were taken to Changi General Hospital where
they received outpatient treatment for chest pains and breathing
difficulties. A couple in the van escaped unhurt.
Mazda Motor (Singapore) managing director Phng Hooi Chay said
yesterday that the company was reviewing test-drive procedures,
especially for high-performance cars.
'We are consulting with others in the motor industry to see what's
the best way,' he said.
'This is a very sad and tragic incident. If only the car
had gone on our usual test-drive route, which is up Aljunied Road
to Upper Serangoon Road, this would not have
happened.'
The route the newly launched MX-5 took was through a heavy MRT
construction area, where the road was twisty and undulating in many
places and the surface paved with temporary metal platforms.
Dealers of high-performance cars say they either do not allow test
drives altogether or are extremely stringent about it.
At Subaru agent Motor Image, drivers who take the WRX sports sedan
out for a spin must have a motor insurance policy with 50 per cent
no-claims bonus, be above the age of 25 and must sign a form
agreeing to stick to a prescribed route.
At Porsche, drivers must be aged 28 or older. Mitsubishi agent
Cycle & Carriage does not allow any of its Lancer Evo cars to
be test-driven.
