Elderly van driver without valid licence hit cyclist in fatal crash

SINGAPORE – A van driver did not have his driving licence validated after he turned 65, and he continued driving for the next three years till he hit a cyclist in a fatal accident in 2021.

On Thursday, Bhagwan Tulsidas Binwani, now 70, was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail, fined $3,800 and banned from holding or obtaining all classes of driving licences for eight years upon release.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of causing the death of Mr Khan Suruj, a 54-year-old construction worker, while driving without reasonable consideration for other road users.

He also admitted to two other charges of driving without a valid licence and driving without valid insurance.

The court heard that Binwani, who operates textile wholesaler Binwanis Enterprises, drove a van registered to the company.

However, he has not held a valid driving licence since he turned 65 on Aug 22, 2018.

On Dec 27, 2021, around 5pm, Binwani was driving the van along Jurong Port Road in the direction of Corporation Road.

He turned into the slip road to Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim, and did not slow down as he approached the zebra crossing.

As a result, the van hit Mr Suruj, who had cycled onto the zebra crossing. The impact caused Mr Suruj to fly off the bicycle and land a short distance away.

Mr Suruj was conveyed to hospital, but died around 4am the next day from traumatic brain injuries.

Court documents revealed that as early as 10 weeks before Binwani’s 65th birthday, Traffic Police (TP) sent a letter to his registered address informing him to undergo a compulsory medical examination to validate his driving licence.

The report on the medical exam had to be submitted at least two weeks before his birthday. If he did not want to go through with the exam, he had to surrender his licence to TP.

Binwani went for the medical exam eight days before his birthday, but submitted only the first of the two-page report to TP. TP e-mailed him to tell his submission was incomplete, but he did not make further submissions.

A day after his birthday, TP sent him a letter by registered mail stating no report had been submitted, and his driving licence was now invalid.

In the letter, he was reminded not to drive without a valid licence. If his licence was not validated within three years, he would have to pass a competence test before he could get another licence.

During investigations, Binwani claimed he did not receive any letter from TP requesting that his medical exam report be submitted by his 65th birthday and assumed his licence was valid.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Pavithra Ramkumar asked the court to impose a high fine for driving without a valid licence, and three to six months’ imprisonment for the charge involving the cyclist’s death.

DPP Ramkumar said Binwani’s plea of guilt did not reflect genuine remorse, as he continued to blame Mr Suruj for the incident.

The prosecutor said the cyclist had the right of way, and Binwani’s failure to notice him was the sole cause of the accident.