Driver in fatal Tampines crash faces fresh charge for grievous hurt, bringing total to five
Muhammad Syafie Ismail, 44, is now facing a fifth charge under the Road Traffic Act.
His latest charge accuses him of dangerous driving causing grievous hurt to two motorists—van driver Chia Tong Chai, 65, and car driver Muhammad Azril Mahmood, 49.
The incident occurred on 22 April 2024 at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4, where a chain collision involved multiple cars, a van, and a minibus.
No plea was taken from Syafie during the court session.
His case has been adjourned, and he is scheduled to return to court on 26 June 2025.
Syafie, a Singaporean, was first charged on 25 April 2024 with four offences: dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing hurt, dangerous driving, and failing to stop after an accident.
According to court documents, the fatal series of events began at around 7am on 22 April 2024.
Syafie was allegedly driving along Bedok Reservoir Road towards Tampines Avenue 4 when he abruptly changed lanes to overtake a car.
This resulted in a sideswipe collision, causing the overtaken vehicle to veer left and scrape its tyres against the road kerb. Syafie allegedly did not stop to provide his particulars.
Subsequently, he ran a red light and collided with three cars. The impact led to further collisions with a van and a minibus.
The crash resulted in two fatalities.
One victim, 17-year-old Temasek Junior College student Afifah Munirah Muhammad Azril, was a passenger in a car driven by her father, Muhammad Azril.
The other victim, 57-year-old Norzihan Juwahib, was a passenger in the van driven by Chia. She was an employee of a pest control company.
Several others were injured, including an 11-year-old boy in one of the cars and another boy on the minibus.
Chia and Azril, now identified as victims of grievous hurt in the latest charge, also sustained serious injuries.
Video footage of the accident was widely circulated on social media, drawing national attention to the dangers of reckless driving.
In addition to the criminal charges, Syafie is facing two civil lawsuits for negligence. The plaintiffs are Chia and another passenger of the van.
If convicted of dangerous driving causing death, Syafie could face two to eight years in prison and disqualification from driving all classes of vehicles.
For dangerous driving causing hurt, he could be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to two years, or both, in addition to driving disqualification.
A conviction for dangerous driving carries a penalty of up to S$5,000, up to 12 months' jail, or both.
Failing to stop after an accident may lead to a fine of up to S$1,000, up to three months' jail, or both.
The new charge of dangerous driving causing grievous hurt carries a jail term of between one and five years and a mandatory driving ban.
Traffic Police: 142 killed in accidents as Singapore's traffic deaths hit five-year high in 2024
The Tampines case comes amid growing concern over traffic safety in Singapore.
According to the Traffic Police's annual report, road fatalities and injuries reached a five-year high in 2024.
A total of 142 lives were lost in traffic accidents last year, up from 136 in 2023. Injuries also increased to 9,302 in 2024, from 8,941 the previous year.
While red-light running violations fell by 11.9%—from 32,867 in 2023 to 28,965 in 2024—the number of fatal accidents linked to red-light violations also declined.
However, a more alarming trend emerged. Among the 139 fatal accidents in 2024, 46 were attributed to speeding. This represents one in three fatal crashes, compared to one in four in 2023.
There was also a sharp 64.8% increase in speeding offences in 2024.
To combat the issue, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam announced on 15 February 2025 that demerit points and composition fines would be increased.
Additionally, from April 2025, red-light cameras islandwide were activated with speed enforcement capabilities.
Speaking on the urgency of the matter, Shanmugam stated, 'People are dying and getting injured on our roads. Every vehicle is a potential missile—it's dangerous if you don't use it properly.'
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