Woman who drove off with cyclist on bonnet in East Coast loses appeal against one-year driving ban

A woman who drove off with a cyclist clinging to the bonnet of her car after the two got into an altercation in East Coast Road has failed in her appeal against her one-year driving ban.

Elaine Michele Ow, 50, a private chef and cooking instructor, was handed the driving disqualification, together with a three-day short detention order, by a district judge in December 2024.

She pleaded guilty to committing a rash act that endangered the safety of Nicolette Tan Shi-en in the 2023 incident, which was caught on a video that was widely shared.

On May 16, Ow's lawyer Kanthan Raghavendra argued before the High Court that the driving ban was not justified.

He argued that there was no need for his client to be punished with both a short detention order and a driving ban, and added that Ow would have to retake her driving test.

He argued that this was an unusual case of road rage where his client was shocked by the cyclist's aggressive behaviour.

He pointed out that Ow had tried to de-escalate the situation before the other woman jumped onto the bonnet.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair said Ow should have waited for the police to arrive instead of inching her car forward after the cyclist stood in front to block her way.

The prosecutor added that while Tan made a very poor choice to jump on the bonnet, Ow had decided to disregard the cyclist's safety by increasing speed as she drove off.

Dismissing the appeal, Justice Hoo Sheau Peng said the driving ban was justified as punishment, deterrence and for the protection of the public.

She acknowledged that the cyclist was more at fault at the start, but the turning point came when Ow drove for about 100m with Tan on the bonnet.

Justice Hoo noted from footage that Tan slipped from the bonnet after Ow made a left turn and stopped.

Ow must be held fully liable, said the judge.

Tan, 33, who was a lawyer at the time of the incident, was given a five-day short detention order in October 2024, after she pleaded guilty to a harassment charge.

On the afternoon of June 2, 2023, the two women were turning into East Coast Road from Still Road South when Tan felt that Ow's car was too close to her.

At the time, Ow was driving to the i12 Katong mall to teach a cooking class.

Tan caught up to Ow's car and stood in front of it. They got into a verbal exchange.

Ow tried repeatedly to drive off, but was blocked by Tan.

In one attempt, the car came into contact with Tan's bicycle. More heated words were exchanged. The cyclist opened the driver's door slightly, causing Ow to shout at her.

Tan moved to the front of the vehicle. Ow came out, picked up the bicycle and carried it to the side before returning to her car, saying that she had a class to get to.

Tan called the police and continued to block the car. After Ow inched forward and nudged Tan's legs, the cyclist jumped onto the bonnet.

Ow muttered "OK" to herself and accelerated through the cross-junction, with Tan on the bonnet.

Tan held on to the windscreen wipers and pounded on the windscreen, screaming for Ow to stop. After the car stopped, she continued to hold on to the wiper, and let go only after coaxing by passers-by.