How could a 16-year-old have driven such a distance all by himself?

That is the question Yeo Ken How's family will probably ask themselves.

Ken How, a Secondary Four student at Bedok South Secondary School who was supposed to take his O Level exams this year, drove what was believed to be a family member's blue Suzuki Swift car yesterday afternoon.

At about 1pm, the car skidded and went up the road kerb between 5 Bedok South Road and 7 Bedok South Road before finally crashing into a tree.

Ken How, who was alone in the car, was trapped inside the wreck.

Singapore Civil Defence Force staff had to use hydraulic cutters to extricate him and he was pronounced dead at 1.35pm.

A security guard at Yokogawa Electric and Engineering Asia Pte Ltd, which is near the accident scene, said he saw a car suddenly speed up the road and then skid, go up the kerb and then crash into a big tree.

He said a young man was trapped in the car and was badly hurt.

The guard, who did not want to be named, said the car might have skidded because of the speed and because the road was slightly wet after the rain earlier that day.

It is not known where Ken How started driving the car yesterday.

But assuming he drove it from the car park outside his block at Bedok North Street 1, he would have driven nearly 1.8km to the accident scene.

Photojournalists Choo Chwee Hua and Kelvin Chng retraced that route and found Ken How would have faced four traffic lights, two right turns and one left turn along the way.

They found that getting out of the car park onto Bedok North Street 1 would have been hardest for a beginner driver like Ken How.

They saw that the road was busy during the day with cars and buses moving towards and away from Bedok Bus Interchange,which would have made Ken How nervous.

He would also have to face a traffic light every 200-300m along the route, making it hard for him to speed up while travelling towards New Upper Changi Road.

But he could speed after that as the road was straight and had no traffic lights all the way to the accident scene.

Both photojournalists noted that skidding was not likely when the brakes were applied while the car was driving at about 50kmh or less, but it was possible when the car drove at about 70kmh or higher.

Did he take lessons?

Mr Jonah Phua, a driving instructor with 23 years' experience, said it was almost impossible for Ken How to drive the car by himself if it was a manual transmission model, unless someone had given him driving lessons.

He said: 'If he had not had any previous lessons, he would have stalled the car when starting it and would never have left the car park. But he would be able to handle the car if it had an automatic transmission and his steering control was good as it was only a matter of him operating the accelerator and brake.'

According to the Suzuki website www.suzukicar.com.sg, the 1.5-litre Suzuki Swift model has versions with manual and automatic transmissions, while the 1.3 -litre model only has automatic transmission.

Mr Phua, 55, said someone with very little driving experience could have little trouble handling a car with an automatic transmission with if the route he covered was largely straight with few traffic lights, turns or bends.

He said: 'But if the route had several traffic lights, right and left turns and came with some bends along the way, he may not be able to handle the situation as he did not have enough experience and maturity.'

Mr Phua added that Ken How might not have been prepared for road driving if his lessons were limited only to the car park in front of his block.

He said: 'In such cases, he would have mainly practised using the first and second gears. Driving on the roads requires one to use higher gears and it would have been unlikely that he knew how to handle the speed and gear changes that accompany such high gears.

'Such experience would have been vital when he was making right or left turns or handling bends in the road.'

Mr Phua thought the accident may have occurred after Ken How wrongly handled the steering wheel after making a turn or manoeuvring a bend.

He said Ken How might have panicked and accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake, thus moving very quickly.

Mr Phua said he would never have trained a novice driver on the route Ken How allegedly took yesterday.

He said: 'If he or she stalled, a passing car might hit our car from the rear. If he or she suddenly stepped on the brakes, an accident might occur.

'So I would spend at least the first three lessons training him or her at a quiet road so that the beginner would have the chance to make mistakes without risking his and others' lives.'  

This article was first published in The New Paper on September 2, 2008.