Distracted biker faces jail for death of elderly jogger

A Foodpanda deliveryman faces two weeks of jail after pleading guilty to negligence and causing the death of an elderly woman.

The incident happened on 3rd June 2018 at around 8 in the evening.

According to an initial report by Today, Muhammad Adli Adi (then 17) was riding his bicycle on his way to deliver a pizza.

He was riding his bike on the shared path along the Tampines Park Connector.

While doing so, Adli checked his phone to reply to a message he got on Instagram.

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In doing so, he took both hands off the handlebars of the bike to type his reply.

He put his phone back in his pocket, and when he looked up, he was already colliding towards a jogger, 60-year-old Poh Cho Hui.

Poh fell on the ground and hit her head on the pavement. Her head was bleeding and she was unconscious when she was taken to Changi General Hospital.

Poh died after six days due to severe head injuries.

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Investigations showed that Adli was riding along the shared path toward Pasir Ris Drive 1 at around 23km/h, below the 25km/h speed limit.

However, his bike did not have a headlight even though it was already dark at night.

For his offences, Adli could have faced up to two years of jail time along with the necessary fine.

Regulatory proposals for PMD riders and cyclists aim to disallow the use of mobile phones when riding an active mobility device on public paths, unless the mobile phone is mounted or used in a hands-free manner./TISG

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