IT was the wee hours of the morning. Mr Tan KL, 19, was taking his girlfriend home in a cab from his home in Bukit Batok Avenue 3.

Suddenly, the cab's door opened and he was flung out of the moving car, rolling on to the middle of the road.

Luckily for him, there wasn't much traffic.

Panicking, his girlfriend, 18, shouted at the driver to stop immediately. She got out of the cab and ran to Mr Tan.

The couple claimed the driver then drove away.

The incident happened on 1 Jul at about 3.45am. The cab was travelling towards Old Jurong Road.

Mr Tan told The New Paper that he was leaning against the left rear door of the cab when the automatic door suddenly opened.

There was a sign outside the door saying it was automatic.

NOT WEARING SEATBELTS

Both he and his girlfriend had not fastened their seat belts.

Mr Tan said he did not have a habit of doing so when sitting at the back, even though this is against the law.

Offenders can be fined $120.

The cab was on the extreme right lane of the three-lane road.

The fulltime NSman said: 'I was caught by surprise. My left arm was on the door's arm rest and half of my body was leaning against the door. I fell onto the road and rolled on to the middle lane.'

He said the cab was travelling at around 50kmh then. It was approaching a junction and was slowing down.

Mr Tan added: 'I was too shocked to react. I vaguely heard my girlfriend shouting at the driver to stop.

'My limbs were in pain as I quickly scrambled to get up. I was afraid that I would be run over by oncoming vehicles that couldn't stop in time.'

The driver stopped about 20m ahead and Mr Tan's girlfriend got out of the cab and ran back to help him up.

But before they couple could react, they said the cab moved off.

Mr Tan recalled: 'When I looked up, I saw the cab cutting across three lanes and turning into a slip road on the left.'

Mr Tan's girlfriend had not closed the door after she alighted.

But as the cab was fitted with an automatic rear door, the driver would be able to close it from his seat.

Such cabs with auto doors - like those found in Japan - were introduced here in 2001.

The feature is helpful to passengers with heavy parcels or shopping bags.

It is operated by a mechanical lever next to the driver's seat. The door opens and closes without the passenger having to lift a finger.

Only the rear passenger door on the left is automatic, as it is the one passengers use most often when getting in or out.

Mr Tan said that his arms, knees and ankles were bleeding. He called his father for help using his girlfriend's handphone as his handphone was broken as a result of the fall.

He said: 'My father later took me to Singapore General Hospital for treatment.'

Apart from the bruises, Mr Tan had a fractured left ankle. He has been given a week's medical leave.

He also made a police report on the same day. The police are investigating.

Mr Tan: 'I was dumbfounded by the cab driver's behaviour. How could he be so irresponsible? I'm not blaming him if there was a malfunction. But he should have at least stopped and checked on me.'

But Mr Tan also admitted that he was at fault for not fastening the seat belt. Had he done so, the incident wouldn't have happened.

Mr Tan said they were not able to take down the cab's licence number.

BAG LOST

His girlfriend was so anxious to get down to help that she left a shopping bag in the cab.

Mr Tan said: 'Earlier in the day, we went shopping and she bought a pair of shoes for herself and a wallet for her father.

'We also put a $50 note in the new wallet. It was meant to be a belated Father's Day gift for him.'

He said that the items left in the cab were worth around $130.

When contacted, a spokesman for ComfortDelGro confirmed that Mr Tan had contacted them to make a report.

The spokesman said: 'This is a serious case and not something that the cab company would take lightly.

'We are currently trying to get more information about the driver from Mr Tan.'

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,135356,00.html