SINGAPORE — A teenager out on a late-night ride on his e-scooter in Punggol took his eyes off the road momentarily and collided with a motorcyclist, which led to the pillion rider on the motorbike getting hospitalised.

On Wednesday (June 3), Elijah Kiong Leng Keng pleaded guilty to two charges of committing a rash act that endangered the personal safety of others.

The 17-year-old Singaporean was ordered by the State Courts to undergo a 15-month probation. He will be required to remain indoors from 10pm to 6am and perform 50 hours of community service.

A charge of riding a personal mobility device (PMD) on the road and another of using an unregistered mobility device were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Under the Active Mobility Act, which came into force in May 2018, only power-assisted bicycles or regular bicycles are allowed on the road. In addition, all e-scooters and power-assisted bicycles have to be registered with the Land Transport Authority.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Samuel Chew said that Elijah was riding his e-scooter along Punggol Way towards Sengkang East Road at around 11pm on May 29, 2018.

Around this time, a motorcyclist and his pillion — neither of whom were identified — were travelling in the opposite direction towards Sumang Link.

As Elijah approached the junction of Punggol Way and Punggol Field, he looked down for an unspecified reason. However, when he had his eyes on the road again, he realised that the traffic light at the junction had turned red.

“(Elijah) was travelling at such a high speed that he was unable to stop his e-scooter in time before the junction,” DPP Chew said, adding that the teenager travelled straight through the junction.

The motorcyclist — who had the right of way — was in the midst of making a right turn into Punggol Field when Elijah collided into the rear of his motorcycle.

The impact of the collision caused both the motorcyclist and his pillion to fall off, DPP Chew said.

The pillion rider fractured her toes and was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

The motorcyclist also suffered injuries, although he was not warded.

The prosecutor said that at the time of the accident, the weather was clear, the road surface was dry and visibility was clear. The traffic flow was light as well.

For committing a rash act that endangers the personal safety of others, Elijah could have been jailed up to a year or fined up to S$5,000, or both.

Anyone caught riding a PMD on the road or using unregistered PMDs or power-assisted bicycles are liable to a jail term of up to three months or a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.