Drivers involved in fatal traffic accidents in Clementi and Bukit Timah arrested

NUS undergraduate Kathy Ong died after the taxi she was riding in (left) collided with a car on April 19 while NUS graduate Jasmine Lim died when the car in which she was a passenger collided with an SMRT bus (right) at a traffic junction in Bukit Timah on April 22. ST PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG, POON CHIAN HUI

SINGAPORE - The drivers involved in a recent spate of fatal traffic accidents have been arrested.

The three accidents - in Clementi, Bukit Timah and Ang Mo Kio - all occurred in the last week and caused five deaths in total.

There have been 38 traffic fatalities between Jan 1 and April 25, a 12 per cent increase from last year, said the Singapore Police Force on Thursday (April 26).

Motorists failing to keep a proper lookout, not having proper control of the vehicle and pedestrians jaywalking or crossing roads without paying attention were listed as the top causes.

The police said accidents at road junctions "remain a grave concern". Two of the three recent fatal accidents took place at junctions.

They also urged motorists to abstain from speeding and pedestrians to stay alert even if they have the right of way.

In the past week, two young women were killed in separate accidents.

Ms Kathy Ong, a 19-year-old National University Singapore undergraduate, died after the taxi she was riding in collided with a car on April 19 at the junction of Commonwealth Avenue West and Clementi Road.

On April 22, a 23-year-old woman was killed in a collision between the car she was a passenger in and an SMRT bus at the junction of Jalan Anak Bukit and Jalan Jurong Kechil.

In both cases the drivers - a 54-year-old taxi driver in the Clementi accident and a 24-year-old woman in the Bukit Timah one - were arrested for causing death by a rash act.

On April 23, an accident involving a lorry, a bus and three pedestrians occurred in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6. All three pedestrians were killed.

The lorry driver has been arrested for causing death by dangerous driving.

Investigations are ongoing for all three cases.

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