“If I Could Turn Back Time”: Father Mourns 19-Year-Old Daughter’s Death From Drunk Driving Accident

By Quinny Tan  •  08 Oct 2021 in News

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Our parents often nag us about our whereabouts and it usually goes in one ear and out the other. But one thing always sticks; “Drive safe!”

Yesterday morning an unfortunate accident occurred outside the Sungai Ramal rest stop at 12am, involving four friends who went out for supper and drinks.

The driver lost control of the car and crashed into a barrier. The impact ejected 19-year-old Tan Ho Ying from the car and her body landed underneath the vehicle.

Her friends were left injured and Ho Ying was devastatingly the casualty of the accident. Police officials reported that she had already passed by the time they arrived.

The police also confirmed that the driver had been drunk, which points to the cause of the accident. According to a Facebook post, the driver was not Ho Ying herself.

“Don’t do dangerous things,” says Mr Tan, Ho Ying’s father, who wrote on Facebook and pleaded others to not make the same mistake.

He mourned his daughters passing and wished he promised her one last thing before she left the house that night.

“I’ve never been so sad, but what can I do? If I could turn back time, I would have said this to her, ‘Every time you go for a drink, no matter how late you return, Dad will pick you up.'”

Mr Tan is only one the many parents who have suffered the loss of their children due to the irresponsible act of drinking and driving.

How many more of these cases do we have to hear about before we take it seriously? Parents should never be the ones to bury their children.

Drunk driving causes more than 10,000 deaths worldwide every year, which is about 1/3 of all traffic-related deaths.

To improve road safety, the government amended drunk driving law under the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act of 2020 and made it stricter, which took effect last October 23, 2020.

A person causing the death of another person whilst driving under the influence shall, if convicted, be punished to imprisonment for at least ten years and not more than 15 years, and a fine of between RM50,000 and RM100,000. The driver shall be disqualified to hold a driver’s licence for at least ten years.

JUICE advises you to drink responsibly and assign a sober designated driver for the end of the night.

Drive safe!