A man in Singapore was involved in 73 traffic accidents over more than four years—1,566 days—deceiving other drivers involved in the accidents into paying him cash “settlements” to maintain his luxurious lifestyle. The man was sentenced to 32 weeks in jail, fined 6,000 SGD (approximately 18,700 MYR), and had all types of driving licenses revoked for 48 months.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the defendant Daniel (28 years old) faced a total of 37 charges, including violations of the Road Traffic Act and fraud. On the 5th, he pleaded guilty to 12 of the charges, and the judge took the remaining charges into consideration when sentencing.
According to case details, the defendant was involved in at least 73 car accidents between September 19, 2019, and January 1, 2024, most of which were deliberately caused by him so he could privately demand cash compensation from the other drivers involved.
While driving, the defendant would act opportunistically, dangerously tailgating vehicles, deliberately not braking, or intentionally accelerating to swipe other cars, thereby creating situations where collisions or near-collisions would occur. After each incident, he would approach the other driver to demand a settlement ranging from 180 SGD (Singapore dollars) to as much as 1,500 SGD.
Investigations revealed that the defendant earned less than 4,000 SGD per month, and committed the offenses to support a lavish lifestyle that did not match his income. Court documents did not disclose how much the defendant had gained from these acts or how his crimes were uncovered.
The prosecution noted that the defendant’s actions posed a great danger to other road users, as he deliberately caused or nearly caused collisions, putting himself and other drivers at risk. Fortunately, no fatalities were caused.