TAWAU: A male driver whose video went viral for suddenly changing lanes and colliding with a motorcyclist was sentenced to one day in jail and RM7,000 in fines in default five months’ jail.
Riduan Ibuan, 39, received the sentence from Magistrate Dayang Aidaku Amira Aminuddin after pleading guilty to driving an Isuzu D-Max without consideration resulting in the accident.
Riduan committed the offence at Batu 3, Jalan Apas, around 1pm on March 21, this year.
He was charged under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333/87) and is punishable under the same Act, which carries a fine of up to RM10,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, on conviction.
According to the facts of the case, Riduan, a contractor, was driving from Bataras to Tawau town, while the victim, a security guard, was riding a Honda motorcycle yp Batu 4 from Tawau Lama.
The victim was in the right-hand lane on a straight road when Riduan upon reaching the exit junction to Taman Megah Jaya, suddenly changed lanes to the right and entered a slip road meant only for exiting vehicles.
Due to the short distance, the victim collided with the right side of Riduan’s vehicle despite braking. The victim sustained injuries, while Riduan was unhurt.
In mitigation, Riduan requested not to be imprisoned and said he only had RM4,000 to pay the fine.
However, the court reprimanded Riduan’s actions, stating that the location was not a designated U-turn area and that his mistake had caused harm to another person.
“If you dared to do that (make a U-turn in a non-U-turn area), it means you’ve done it multiple times and only this time you were unlucky,” the judge said sternly.
Meanwhile, the Prosecuting Officer from the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division (BSPT) of IPD Tawau, ASP Joan Lee, requested an appropriate sentence to serve as a lesson to Riduan.
She noted that the case involved public interest and had gone viral on social media, and that Riduan, who holds a temporary resident identification card valid until August 28, 2027, should have been more cautious and obeyed Malaysian laws.
“In this case, Riduan took a short cut to Tawau town by entering the slip road into Taman Megah Jaya, and his selfish behaviour resulted in an accident and serious injury to an innocent road user,” she said.
