Someone hit my car, then my license got suspended
I was fined a sum of money and my phone was confiscated (then disposed).
By Ho Kok Pern • 5 minute read2020 was really, really horrible.
Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic was bad. But so many other things happened over the year that I couldn’t help but wonder if I stepped on poop on 1 January 2020.
Sorry, this isn’t a complaint session.
This is a story about how someone hit my car, then my license got suspended.
It was 9 June 2020, Tuesday — nearly two months since my last day at a previous company that made my life hell. I was happy to have left what I saw as a place that didn’t recognise my potential, but almost eight weeks of unemployment later, I realised the road ahead was uncertain because of the pandemic and that I needed to at least find a temporary source of income that could help cover my daily expenses until I found a new job.
Thankfully, I love driving and I know the roads fairly well, so I took up a temporary role as a deliveryman.
Photo: KP Ho
On that fateful day — two weeks since I started this role — I was out delivering parcels with a new partner. It was his first day on the job, and he was telling me what he thought about it at the red light when we felt something hit our van from the rear. I got out and saw that it was a motorcycle that had whammed into us, but because it was a minor accident, we agreed to settle the matter privately. We drove off after that as we didn’t want to hold up the traffic, and at the next red light, I called my boss to inform him about the incident.
Yes, I was delivering parcels from your online shopping.
As I was reporting the matter to my boss, the light turned green. I was still holding on to my phone, and although I wanted to pull to the side to continue the call, a Traffic Police (TP) had already seen me and motioned for me to pull over. (If you didn’t know, this is actually considered an unlawful act on my part.)
Of all times! I couldn’t help letting out a heavy sigh as I stopped my van to talk to the TP. I tried to explain the situation and seek leniency, but it did not stop my phone from being confiscated on the spot and I was advised to expect court order within a month. Sure enough, I received a letter summoning me to court on 01 July 2020.
I knew I was wrong, but I was frustrated, nonetheless. That night, I called my girlfriend to recount the incident to her. I could tell she was trying very hard to console me, but my misfortunes kept playing in my mind like a Spotify playlist as I recalled everything unlucky that had happened to me this year, including:
I lost my job in the midst of the pandemic;
Since my phone was confiscated, I had to deal with tremendous inconvenience;
My paltry earnings might not be enough to cover for the traffic fines that I was sure I would be penalised with, in addition to my daily expenses;
I still haven’t found a new job!
Despite my frustration, I was terribly worried before my hearing, just like anyone else might be. To deal with the stress, I started reciting the Universal Gate Chapter from the Lotus Sutra. It’s a chapter I particularly love, and during this time, I spent more effort contemplating the text. I found myself really touched by the vows of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva to save anyone in suffering, and gradually, I began to recognise my complacency in driving. Sure, I had been driving for some years now and I’ve been pretty good at it. But that’s no excuse for my blunder, and I was lucky no one got hurt because of my carelessness! The guilt would have left a terrible scar in me and the consequences definitely a lot costlier compared to the fond memories that I lost in my confiscated phone!
On 1 July 2020, I appeared in court for my hearing. I confessed my mistake and pleaded guilty. The judge dealt me with a fine and a six-month driving suspension, and told me my phone would be disposed. The total monetary value that I lost from this incident amounted to more than my pay as a deliveryman, as I expected. However, the judge was compassionate and understood there was data I would need to recover from my phone for work purposes, so I was granted permission to retrieve the data I needed from the police station.
The outcome was undeniably painful, but it could have been worse. This incident woke me up to my negligence and I decided to share this encounter with my friends as I don’t want anyone else to experience such unnecessary afflictions.
I wasn’t allowed to drive again for six months.
As a Dharma student, I understand this episode could be a blessing in disguise in that I could be repaying for a bad karma committed in a past life（重罪轻受）. In the past, I used to hate the authorities for being unforgiving and blamed the Bodhisattvas for not using miracles to save me. Now, I realise I should stop planting bad seeds (of anger) each time my bad karma comes to fruition, and that planting good seeds (of happiness) should be the way forward for the bad karma that I want to avoid in future.
In times of suffering, we must always remember that the Triple Gems are always by our side, and we should keep praying for wisdom and courage to overcome life challenges. This lesson has taught me to be less complacent and more mindful, and to live better by being responsible.
Also, good news: I finally found a job and I’m humbled by the trust my colleagues have in me now!
Today, on 1 January 2021, I can return to the roads again.
(But I can probably only claim my license tomorrow since it’s a public holiday today, haha)
This time, I promise to be a careful driver and to be mindful of my surroundings at all times.
Cheers to new beginnings.
