SINGAPORE: The state coroner on Friday (Feb 21) warned travellers against the use of carpooling services such as those on Telegram, following the death of a passenger in a road traffic accident. 

Michael Ong Wee Siong, 21, died when the van he was riding in flipped on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) in the direction of Tuas on Dec 31, 2023 following a collision with a lorry. 

The van driver, then 18, did not have a Class 3 Driving Licence or a Provisional Driving Licence at that point in time. 

Mr Ong, a Singaporean, died from a neck injury and was likely to have succumbed to his injuries before he was extricated from the flipped van, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said while delivering a summary of his findings. 

The driver, whose full name was not revealed in the summarised findings, was unlikely to have had extensive driving experience due to his lack of a licence, noted the coroner. He also had not been authorised by the van's registered owner to use the vehicle.

State Coroner Nakhoda further noted that a van was not designated a public service vehicle under the Second Schedule of the Road Traffic Act. 

As such, a van could not be used to ferry passengers unless these were employees of the company the van belonged to, or were sick or injured in an emergency.

The unlicensed driver had been offering to ferry passengers to their destinations on a Telegram group chat. Unregulated carpooling chat groups have been available on Telegram. In such groups, drivers offer rides to passengers in exchange for payment. 

The government has warned against such trips, pointing out that these do not have safeguards in place, unlike those booked through licensed carpooling operators. 

Investigations did not manage to establish whether Mr Ong had engaged the driver in exchange for payment. 

VAN DRIVING AT SPEED FASTER THAN LORRY

After picking up Mr Ong, the van driver headed to the PIE in the direction of Tuas and drove behind a lorry.  

Based on the lorry's footage of the incident, the van was approaching the rear of the lorry at a faster speed than the lorry was travelling. It was likely that the van was travelling "quite a lot faster" than the lorry, said the coroner. 

State Coroner Nakhoda found it likely that the driver had begun to filter to the right to overtake the lorry, or had tried to avoid a collision with the lorry. 

The driver's insufficient experience could have resulted in him lacking the situational experience to moderate or adjust his speed in relation to other vehicles on the road. 

The driver possibly misjudged the speed of his van or the lorry, and as a result, failed to filter lanes in time when trying to overtake the lorry, said the coroner. 

Instead, the van drove into the lorry's right rear side, with the resulting impact launching the van into the air. 

The van then flew past the lorry and landed on the road in front in an upside-down position. 

Mr Ong, then seated in the front passenger seat, sustained severe traumatic injuries from the incident and died. 

Highlighting the dangers of such carpooling services, State Coroner Nakhoda said a person could be picked up by inexperienced drivers, which can lead to a higher chance of an accident. He added that resulting injuries or death may not be covered by insurance.

Passengers who are travelling should avoid using such carpooling services, and instead use a private-hire vehicles, taxis or public transport, the coroner said.