SIBU: A 31-year-old motorist was fined RM6,000 or six months’ imprisonment by the Magistrates’ Court here today (May 18) after pleading guilty to driving without due care and attention for other road users.
Magistrate Oon Kork Chern also ordered the conviction to be endorsed on the driving licence of the accused, Ting Ching Yin, of Jalan Salim.
Ting was charged with driving a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) along Tong Sang Road without due care and attention for other road users at about 4.22 pm on Oct 25 last year.
The offence was framed under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a fine of between RM5,000 and RM10,000, and imprisonment of up to 12 months upon conviction.
According to the facts of the case, the complainant lodged a police report at the Traffic Police Station at about 6 pm on the day of the incident regarding a collision involving a motorcycle and an MPV along Tong Sang Road.
Earlier, at about 5.30 pm, police received information from the victim’s family that the motorcyclist had died while receiving treatment at the emergency ward of Sibu Hospital.
Investigations found that the accused was travelling from the town area along Tong Sang Road and intended to turn into Tong Sang Road Lane 4.
The motorcyclist, meanwhile, was travelling from Oya Road towards Sibu town via Tong Sang Road.
The accident occurred on a busy stretch of road frequently used by motorists heading towards the town centre.
Based on investigations and collision evidence obtained from the forensic chemistry report prepared by the Sibu Forensic Department, the initial point of impact involved the right side of both vehicles.
Police believed the motorcycle was travelling on the broken lane divider line while the MPV had stopped and was attempting to make a right turn.
Investigations concluded that negligence was attributed to both the MPV driver and the motorcyclist, with no criminal elements found in the case.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Keshava Rao Tharma Raja. Ting opted to pay the fine.
