A REAR balding tyre of a weekend car driven by a teenage unlicensed driver might have partially contributed to a fatal road traffic accident, a coroner's court heard on Monday.

Yeo Ken How, 16, was alone driving his brother's blue Suzuki Swift to meet some friends in Marine Parade on Sept 1 when he lost control of the vehicle along Bedok South Road and rammed into a tree.

Investigation showed that the Secondary 4 student of Bedok South Secondary School was believed to have lost control of the car while negotiating a left bend, resulting in the car swerving to the left side of the road and crashing into a tree.

Ken How suffered head and bodily injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Investigation further showed that he had driven his brother's car without his consent. His brother, Mr Yeo Ken Pon, 30, who was in court for a coroner's inquiry, was then away in Australia.

The court heard that Mr Yeo had entrusted the car keys to their mother for safe keeping. She then kept the keys in a pouch in one of the cupboards in the living room.

Neither the teen's mother nor brother had seen him drive previously and did not know when and where he had learnt to drive.

State Coroner Victor Yeo said in his findings that the extensive damage to the car and its final resting position did not suggest that the car was travelling at a slow speed before the collision.

The speed limit was 60kmh.

He added it was very likely that a combination of factors such as the wet weather conditions, the balding right tyre and the teen's lack of qualifications to drive could have led to the accident.

He recorded a verdict of misadventure on Ken How's death.