Judges say minor property damage and low harm to others justify fines over jail terms.
Two drivers who initially faced jail time for careless driving have had their sentences reduced to fines following appeals to Singapore’s High Court. The judges emphasized that the actual property damage in both cases was minor, and the potential harm was not serious enough to justify imprisonment.
In one case, Mr. Chan Chow Chuen was initially sentenced to five days’ jail for careless driving and a $5,000 fine for drink driving, along with a three-year driving ban. His sentence was revised on Nov 22, replacing the jail term with an $11,000 fine, totaling $16,000 in fines and the driving ban. The incident occurred in May 2022 when Mr. Chan, after drinking at a restaurant, stopped his car to respond to a text message. While attempting to move, he hit another vehicle lightly. After failing a breathalyzer test, his alcohol level was found to be above the legal limit, but Justice See Kee Oon concluded that the minimal damage did not meet the threshold for jail.
In the second case, Ms. Fan Lei, who had been sentenced to five days in jail for careless driving and a $3,000 fine for drink driving, saw her sentence reduced to an $8,000 fine for the careless driving charge. She had driven for 17 kilometers before hitting another car, and her breath alcohol level was within the lowest range for sentencing. Justice Aidan Xu ruled that the damage caused was low, and there was insufficient evidence to show she was driving recklessly during the entire journey.
These changes follow recent discussions in Parliament regarding traffic rule amendments aimed at ensuring proportional punishment for offenders. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that the new proposals will not affect cases involving driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
