A 58-year-old cabby was on Tuesday fined $12,000 and banned from driving for six years after negligently causing the death of a passenger.

Tan Boon Yeow lost control of his vehicle while negotiating a turn. It crashed into a guard railing and flipped over, before being hit by an oncoming vehicle. The three passengers in the car were injured and one in the back seat, 47-year-old Liu Fang, later died in hospital from head injuries.

Handing down the sentence yesterday, District Judge Eddy Tham said that Tan ought to have exercised greater care, noting that Ms Liu had suffered an "untimely demise". He said: "(Tan) failed to sufficiently slow down given the road conditions...the driver ought to have exercised greater care."

The accident on the evening of Jan 19 this year occurred while Tan was exiting the Pan-Island Expressway. Ms Liu and her husband were seated in the back of the cab but without seat belts on, while their son sat in front passenger seat. Traffic was light and there was clear visibility, but it was drizzling and the road was wet.

Tan, who pleaded guilty on Nov 8 to causing death through a negligent act, faced a maximum penalty of two years in jail and a fine.

Two charges relating to the injuries caused to Ms Liu's husband and son, and one for failing to ensure the couple wore seatbelts, were taken into consideration. The maximum penalty for causing death through negligence is a jail term of two years and a fine.