2½ years’ jail for speeding van driver who fatally struck jaywalker in Woodlands
Nadine Chua
The Straits Times
June 30, 2026
A speeding driver whose van fatally struck a jaywalker crossing the road against the red-man signal in Woodlands was sentenced to two years and six months’ jail on June 30.
Tan Kwee Teck, 69, admitted to travelling at speeds of up to 107kmh despite the speed limit in the area being 60kmh. Tan will also be disqualified from driving for 10 years from the date of his release from prison.
He caused the death of Wong Chee Wai, 54, who was crossing the road while wearing earpieces, unaware that Tan’s van was coming towards him at high speed.
The court heard that shortly before the fatal crash, Tan was driving the van along Woodlands Road towards Upper Bukit Timah Road after 6pm on Nov 15, 2024.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Stephen Yeo said that as Tan drove along Woodlands Road during rush hour, he executed several dangerous manoeuvres, including weaving in and out of traffic and lane splitting.
Tan later approached some traffic lights that were showing green in his favour. Wong started crossing the road at around the same time.
Tan spotted Wong only as he drove closer, but the van hit him, throwing him a distance away.
According to court documents, the van had gone over the speed limit for a distance of at least 200m.
The Health Sciences Authority conducted a speed estimation analysis of the vehicle and found that it was going at between 62kmh and 75kmh just before it struck Wong.
He was conscious when he was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and was found to have suffered multiple fractures and a severe traumatic brain injury.
He died of multiple organ failure eight days later on Nov 23, 2024. Tan was arrested in November 2025.
The court heard that Tan has a history of traffic offences and had paid a composition fine of $380 in February 2022 for failing to obey a red light signal.
In May 2023, he paid another composition fine of $200 for speeding.
Urging the court to impose a jail term of between 2½ and 3½ years, the prosecutor had previously said: “Although the victim was jaywalking and the accused had the right of way, the accused was driving at a speed that simply gave him no chance to react to the victim being on the road.
“The accused’s cavalier disregard for road safety led to an entirely avoidable traffic incident and the loss of a life.”
In mitigation, defence lawyer Chia Boon Teck had asked the court to sentence his client to around two years’ jail, stressing that Wong had been jaywalking.
He also said that Tan’s wife has terminal cancer with only months to live.
Chia said that his client is “angry with himself” for committing the offence as he might be seeing his spouse for the last time before he begins serving his sentence.
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