Drunk driver gets four months jail - reactions

Letters to the Forum page of The Straits Times on 4th March 2004, decry the light sentence meted out to the driver who killed togoparts and NTU cyclist Alvin Boey (press mistakenly called him Alvin Ho), R.I.P. See the ST report of the sentence.

One writer says, 'I am appalled at the light sentence - four months' jail for killing a cyclist while driving under the influence of alcohol.' "In another article on the same day, it was reported that a man was jailed for a year - three times longer than Koe - for oral sex."
The other writer says, "The message being sent out is that a cyclist, acting fully within his rights according to the Road Traffic Act, is expendable."
Read more....

First posted in Otterman speaks.

Driver who knocked down Alvin "Kroxy" Boey was drunk

"Soldier knocked down cyclist after drinking binge." By Chong Chee Kin. The Straits Times, 27 Feb 2004.

"SINGAPORE Armed Forces First Sergeant Koe Seng Wah had already had too many glasses of beer when he got behind the wheel of his car on Sept 13 last year.

It did not stop him from exceeding the speed limit though. Shortly after he left Tengah Air Base at about 4.15pm, he hit a 23-year-old cyclist, who died at the scene.

Yesterday, Koe, 31, was jailed four months for causing the death of the cyclist through his recklessness.

A district court heard that the breath analyser test he took about two hours after the accident showed he had 78 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of his breath - more than twice the legal limit of 35 micrograms per 100ml.

The cyclist, Nanyang Technological University engineering undergraduate Alvin Boey, was on the road with a group of friends in Jalan Bahar, which has a speed limit of 60kmh, when the accident happened.

Koe, who was driving his car at about 70kmh, was on his way to pick up his wife and year-old son, when he spotted Mr Boey and his friends on the inside lane, travelling in the same direction.

Instead of slowing down or moving to the right lane, Koe continued driving on the inside lane at the same speed, and hit Mr Boey's bicycle.

The undergrad was flung onto the windscreen of Koe's car, landing so heavily that he cracked it before ending up on the road.

Investigations later revealed that Koe had finished work at the airbase at about noon and gone to the mess hall where he drank beer for about four hours until he left.

In his mitigation, he told the court he had a clean driving record before the accident. He also said he was remorseful and had swerved right after he hit Mr Boey to avoid running over him.

He could have been jailed for up to two years and fined."

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Safe Riding and Park Connectors

I registered at togoparts the Singapore cycling community's webpage, to post my condolences to Alvin (a.k.a. Kroxy) Ho's friends and family. It's been a sombre day.

It seems Alvin was hit from behind, nothing much you do about that. But it prompted a review of unsafe riding many had witnessed. As some talked generally about cycle lanes and classes to teach safer riding, I added:

"I feel cyclists would profit from the sort of basic training - theory and practical - that motorcyclists go through, at the very least. I ride on roads regularly and find I have to apply a lot of strategies to survive the ride. The lack of skills my friends potray shock me. Some are skilled offroad but traffic-riding is another story. Of the bunch, only one or two are road-worthy. Same impression at mass ride events."

I profited a lot from the philosphy of safe riding imparted to trainees when I took my motorbike Class 2B ages ago. I wish cyclists had something like that to turn to.

I am doubtful we will ever have the bliss of cycle lanes. My best hope is the Park Connector network. Another 120km by 2015. It's "a challenge" not a promise. We have to see that it happens somehow, all of us.

First posted in Otterman speaks.

NTU undergrad cyclist killed by suspected drunk driver

A friend of mine saw the news footage last night. Blood was splattered near a bus stop at Jalan Bahar.

"He was the last man in the group because it was his duty to ensure the safety of the other 20 or so participants." - Straits Times, 15 Sep 2003

Poor chap. Biking advocate. Only son. Friendly and humble chap from condolences at togoparts. Gone just like that.

A cyclist or pedestrian is easy prey for an errant driver. While pleased that most of my cycling kakis are now well lit on roads and wear helmets these days, we would still need a miracle to survive a rear hit by an errant driver. Drunk drivers should lose their right to drive forever, even after a long spell in jail.

Ride safe everyone. Hope you are at peace now, Alvin Boey.

See The Straits Times> report and Togoparts Forum.

First posted in Otterman speaks (post date refreshed to 2005 after correction to surname; press had mistakenly called him Alvin Ho; his cousin corrected the error in Togoparts).

Alvin Boey killed - The Straits Times report

NTU undergrad out on a cycling expedition dies in road accident. By Ng Toh Heong. The Straits Times, 14 Sep 2003.

"A second-year NTU undergraduate out on a cycling expedition died after being hit by a car.

This happened just a week after police announced the number of fatal road accidents in the first half of the year rose 22 per cent compared to the same period last year.

It was along Jalan Bahar near NTU where the accident happened on a Saturday afternoon.

23-year-old Alvin Ho [actually Alvin Boey] and two other students were cycling back to the university from East Coast Park when he was hit by a car.

The impact of the collision flung him towards a bus stop and he died on the spot.

At his home on Sunday, Alvin's sister said she was too upset to speak.

Police have released the driver, a 31-year-old man, on a $10,000 bail.

He was believed to have been speeding towards the PIE at the time of accident and has been charged with performing a reckless act.

Reckless driving, police said, are the cause of most road accidents.

The driver in this instance was allegedly drunk when the accident happened."