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Friday, June 3 2016 THE NEW PAPER
We straw polled 10 of our doctors at
the department. Eight informed of
having seen at least one to two such
cases between last November and
this April.
— Dr Kanwar S. Lather from the National University Hospital’s Emergency
Medicine Department on the recent increase of accidents involving
personal mobility devices
dEAd: Another accident where the
81-year-old rider of a power-assisted
bicycle died. Photos: Dr Kanwar s
Lather, shin min DaiLy news
state Coroner says death of man on e-bike was ‘misadventure’
Maxi-cabs may
have blocked
view
prEvENtioN
Report by SHAFFIQ ALKHATIB and
PHYLLIS LEE
[email protected]
He was hit last Christmas Eve
on his way to his father’s
home.
Odd job labourer Ang Thiam
Beng, 55, was riding a power-assisted bicycle along Pioneer
Road North and making a right turn
into Jurong West Avenue 4 when a
lorry hit him at around 2.15pm.
He died in hospital two days later.
Delivering his findings in an inquiry into Mr Ang’s death yesterday, State Coroner Marvin Bay said
the death was an “unfortunate traffic
misadventure.”
Before the accident, the lorry driver, Mr Kamsani Minhat, was heading
in the opposite direction along Pioneer Road North.
Mr Kamsani was driving on the
extreme left of the three-lane road
when he approached the junction.
The prescribed speed limit there
JURONG
WEST
AVENUE 4
tnP inFoGraPhiCs: teoh yi Chie
was 60kmh and he was driving at
around 49 to 56kmh.
Coroner Bay said: “The traffic light
changed from red to green as Mr
Kamsani was about five car lengths
from the junction. He continued to
drive while two maxi-cabs began to
move off from the centre lane.”
As he came to the middle of the
and vice versa.
Mr Kamsani stopped his vehicle
and alighted to help Mr Ang.
Mr Ang was rushed to Ng Teng
Fong General Hospital where he was
found to be have injuries to his head
and internal organs.
He died on Dec 26 last year.
Coroner Bay said yesterday: “Motorised bicycles may move at a high
speed and present a low profile.
“This is compounded by the fact
that as there is no certification process in place, operators may not have
received any formal training on handling their power-assisted bicycles.”
Experts The New Paper spoke to
said the recent increase of personal mobility devices (PMDs), like power-assisted or motorised bicycles and
electric scooters, has led to more accidents involving them.
Dr Kanwar S. Lather from the National University Hospital’s Emergency Medicine Department said: “We
straw polled 10 of our doctors at the
department. Eight informed of having
seen at least one to two such cases between last November and this April.”
He said the most common injuries
were bruises and abrasions on the
hands and knees.
But victims in such accidents could
suffer permanent disabilities or even
death.
junction, he saw Mr Ang on his right.
Unable to react in time, the front portion of the lorry hit Mr Ang.
A video played in court yesterday
showed Mr Ang being flung off his
bike and onto the road.
Coroner Bay said the two maxicabs travelling in line may have
blocked Mr Kamsani’s view of Mr Ang
To prevent such accidents, road safety expert Gerard Pereira told TNP
that PMD users must be trained in
safe riding practices when they buy
such vehicles.
Mr Pereira, who is the operations
manager of the Singapore Safety
Driving Centre, added: “Users... can
be taught basic traffic rules.”
He said they can also wear helmets
and bright colours while riding them.
Mr Denis Koh, who is a member of
the Active Mobility Advisory Panel,
said education programmes are already in place.
The chairman of interest group Big
Wheel Scooters Singapore, said: “But
it’s a long process. Since PMDs are
quite new, we have to study as time
passes. We have to go through re-assessments again and again.”
On March 19 this year, a 23-yearold died from head injuries after falling from his electric scooter. He was
going to Marina Bay Sands from East
Coast Park.
Last October, an 81-year-old retiree who was riding a power-assisted
bicycle was run over and killed by a
truck.
He was going to meet friends in
Chinatown when he was hit by the
truck at Lower Delta Road.