Motorcyclist killed in BKE accident, elderly cabby arrested
A motorcyclist was killed in an early morning accident yesterday on the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE).
The 61-year-old Malaysian was pronounced dead at the scene. A police spokesman said they were alerted to the accident at about 1.48am.
The accident involved a car, a taxi and a motorcycle on the BKE in the direction of the Pan-Island Expressway, just after the Mandai Road exit.
The spokesman said the taxi driver, a 73-year-old man, was arrested for causing death by negligent act. Police investigations are ongoing.
Photos and videos of the aftermath posted on social media showed debris from the motorcycle strewn across three of the four lanes on the highway.
About 30m of the three lanes were initially closed off.
Pictures of the motorcycle showed it was mangled and crushed, with 10m of skid marks on the road.
The Land Transport Authority had sent out a tweet at about 2am, advising motorists to avoid lanes 2, 3 and 4.
The congestion lasted for four hours, till around 6am.
Last week, the Traffic Police (TP) revealed that fatal accidents involving motorcyclists had increased by almost 45 per cent last year.
The number of cases jumped from 45 in 2017 to 65 last year.
A total of 61 motorcyclists and pillion riders also died last year in these accidents, up from 44 people in 2017. These deaths accounted for almost half of all road traffic fatalities last year.
The TP Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner Gerald Lim, had said that fatigue, not having a proper lookout for other motorists, and poor judgment were the three leading causes of motorcycle accidents.
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