A banquet operations manager who took to the wheel despite having been banned from the road for a year was called the "ultimate road terror'' by a district judge on Wednesday.

While driving under a year-long ban, Tan Yang Chin, 34, was involved in a hit-and-run accident along an expressway which resulted in a taxi overturning and injuring three people. The accident happened along East Coast Parkway (ECP) at 1.14am on Feb 7 this year.

Tan was jailed for 13 months and banned from driving for eight years after admitting to causing grievous hurt to taxi passenger Wang Jing, 28, a Chinese national; driving under a ban; and failing to render assistance.

A district court heard that Tan was speeding along ECP when he fell asleep and hit the centre divider. He woke up and veered his car towards the extreme left lane, and hit the back of Mr Goh Chee Kwang's taxi. Mr Goh, 51, was then taking Ms Wang and another female passenger to the airport. He lost control of the vehicle which then hit the road barrier and overturned.

Tan sped away from the scene and later left his car unattended about 1km away along ECP before Xilin Avenue.

Ms Wang was taken to hospital for fractures to her pelvis. Both vehicles were badly damaged.

Calling him the "ultimate road terror'', District Judge Low Wee Ping said Tan had been fined and banned from driving for 12 months in April last year for drink driving. Two months before his disqualification ended, he drove at least four times.

Two charges of causing hurt to the taxi driver and the other passenger and failing to stop after the accident were considered during his sentencing.