Newly qualified driver and his passenger killed in car accident
A driver who got his licence just two months ago and one of his passengers were killed yesterday when their car was ripped in two after hitting a lamppost.
Chan Wing-chung, 20, was driving along Tsing Tsuen Road towards Shek Kong at about 3.50am when he lost control of the car, glanced off a central divider at Texaco Road and hit a lamppost.
A source at the scene said the driver was giving two friends a ride after they had supper.
'He had chosen the wrong lane,' the source said. 'He lost control of the car when he wanted to change to another lane.'
The car was ripped in two, with the front and back compartments coming to rest metres apart.
Chow Wai-kwong, who was sitting in the back, was thrown from the vehicle and killed. He was 23. Female passenger Lui Wai-ting, 20, and the driver were trapped in the front seats.
The driver and the male passenger were certified dead at the scene. Firefighters freed the woman, who was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in stable condition.
Chief accident investigator Wong Kim-wing said more investigation was needed to determine how fast the vehicle was travelling.
'The driver had two months of driving experience and he did not drink before driving,' he said. 'The area is not a traffic accident black spot.
'We need to conduct more investigations to check on the driving speed at the time of the accident.'
Friends and family of the two men performed religious rituals at the site.
The government has proposed extending the probationary driving licence scheme to private cars and light goods vehicles, according to a Legco paper submitted by the Transport and Housing Bureau this month.
The scheme requires newly qualified motorcyclists to display 'P' plates to remind other drivers to be more cautious around them,
The paper said that over the past five years, the annual average number of accidents per 1,000 car drivers with less than one year's driving experience was 6.95, compared with 3.51 for those with more experience.
The government also suggests probationary drivers should be banned from driving above 70km/h. The proposals will be discussed at the Legislative Council tomorrow, and the bureau plans to submit the amendment bill to Legco in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, five victims of a bus crash in which two people died on Saturday in Tseung Kwan O were still in hospital.
Three aged between four and 38 were in serious condition in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Two aged 29 and 49 were stable in United Hospital.
