THEY were heading home in a taxi when a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) allegedly drove out from a lane.

Wanting to avoid a collision, the cabby honked at the black MPV.

A crash was averted, but it marked the start of a hellish 20-minute ride for teacher Aileen Wu, 25, and her boyfriend, project assistant Alwyn Ong, 28.

The couple were on the way to MissWu's home in Kallang after meeting for supper around 11pm on 27 Apr.

As the two vehicles entered the Central Expressway (CTE) from Jalan Bukit Merah, the MPV began veering in and out of the taxi's path.

Miss Wu said: 'I didn't think anything was amiss when the MPV took the same route as us after the near-collision.

'But the moment the MPV began cutting into our lane, I realised the driver had been following us deliberately.

'I guess he wasn't happy about the cabby honking at him.'

She suspects the driver had been drinking as his face looked flushed.

Miss Wu e-mailed The New Paper two video clips of the incident, taken with her handphone.

The footage shows the SMRT taxi she was in jam-braking each time the MPV cut into its lane.

Miss Wu said: 'I started filming the incident when we were on the CTE.

'My boyfriend was so outraged that he called the police with his handphone.'

Mr Ong and Miss Wu said the police operator who took the 999 call asked them to lure the MPV driver to the nearest police station.

In the clip, the MPV driver was seen driving along the road shoulder after cutting into the taxi's path, only to repeat his action when the cab drove past.

'I WAS SCARED'

He then drove on the chevron markings before veering into the taxi's lane again.

Miss Wu said: 'I was scared because I didn't know what the (MPV) driver intended to do.

'My boyfriend and I were belted up, but I was still afraid because of the constant jam-braking, which caused us to jerk forward during that period.'

In the end, that driver exited the CTE into Merchant Road, but not before flashing a 'V' sign with his fingers at the couple as a parting shot.

An SMRT spokesman said that the taxi driver chose to let the matter rest instead of confronting the driver who road-hogged him along the CTE.

'He took his passengers safely to their destination,' the spokesman said, adding that its cab drivers can always dial the company's 24-hour hotline to get help or voluntarily report incidents they may have encountered while on the road.

She said: 'We often stress to our drivers that they should seek help using channels of assistance that we have put in place, instead of confronting unreasonable or dangerous drivers on the roads.'

However, MrOng made a police report after reaching his destination.

Police told The New Paper that investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Lawyers said the driver could be charged with reckless or dangerous driving.

Lawyer Sunil Sudheesan of KhattarWong said: 'This incident isn't road rage because no violence was involved. But his way of driving could cause an accident.

'And if he had been drinking, the driver could also be charged with drink-driving.'

Reckless drivers can be fined up to $3,000 or jailed up to a year, or both, if they are first offenders.

Repeat offenders can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to two years, or both.

Drink drivers can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to six months, or both.

This article was first published in The New Paper on May 10, 2008.