Man without driving licence used friend’s name to rent a car; sped at 123km/h on expressway

SINGAPORE: A 22-year-old man was sentenced on Thursday (Nov 30) to 15 months’ probation for cheating on a car-sharing platform, driving without a licence, and driving without insurance. Another two charges, including driving at a speed of 123kmh, were also taken into consideration in his sentencing.

Jamus Tan Le Xuan was ordered to perform 80 hours of community service and banned from driving while under probation. He used his friend’s account with the car-sharing platform GetGo to drive 45 times over a period of seven months until he was caught by a traffic police officer for speeding on an expressway. Tan paid between S$16 and S$154.80 for each ride, with the priciest booking for a trip from 6.15 pm on May 20, 2022, to 5.50 am the next morning, an article on CNA stated.

At about 10pm on Dec 25 last year, Tan rented another GetGo vehicle in Ang Mo Kio using his friend’s account. At about 4.10am the next day, he was speeding along the Pan Island Expressway at 123 km per hour when a traffic police officer spotted him. The officer stopped Tan and arrested him after realising Tan did not have a valid driving licence. Tan was determined to be suitable for probation. Tan’s father furnished a bond of S$5,000 (US$3,755) to ensure his son’s good behaviour during his probation.

If caught speeding, drivers may be slapped with any of the following penalties, depending on the nature and speeding offence they have committed:

• Demerit points
• Composition fines
• Revocation or suspension of your driver’s licence
• Prosecution in Court

New and probationary drivers who have committed speeding offences will have their licence revoked and rendered invalid if they accumulate 13 (or more) demerit points during their probationary period. Generally, for first-time offenders, driving without a valid driving license carries a penalty of up to 3 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Repeat offenders face up to 6 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $20,000, and the vehicle forfeited.