Are we bad drivers?

[Mean76]

There are simply too many accidents happening on the roads now.

 

 

I personally witnessed an accident which happened right in front of my eyes.

 

30/11/06 Thurs (3.30pm)I'm traveling on the middle lane towards Changi at PIE E'way. Right after the bend at the Bukit Timah exit and all the cars are traveling at speed 20-30kmh (Due to an accident invloving 3-4 vehicles further ahead), A sunny just crash into the altis rear.

 

I wondered to myself .. WTF ... cars are already so slow and yet accident happen? What is shocking is how scrappy Altis and Sunny are. The Altis just bounced up on the air like it's floating ... the sunny just stall on the spot. Mind you, they are not direct impact, the sunny left front lights only touches the altis's right rear-light, but both the bumper/lights on both cars all flattened and the both cars swirled slightly left.

 

It occur to me that the last time I was invloved in an accident, my 92 stock coe corolla are still in one piece whlist the other parties lost the front completely.

 

And look at the recent bad accident/s at Hougang mall, bukit panjang. How badly the car ended up. This simply don't happen overnight!

 

 

IMHO,

 

i) I think the technical aspects of the car needs to improve. And we must be ready to pay a bit more for it. ETc, brakes,

 

ii) We should introduce defensive driving for all new drivers after they cleared the TP test. It's a must to go through it before the license are released.

 

iii) Right turn only when arrow turn green. 5 secs delay after the oncoming traffic turns red and before right turn. In case some idiots decides to dash across even when it has turn red (at least there's still a 5 sec reaction for the other side)

 

 

No doubt raining season is one of main reason for the increase of accidents but it is not acceptable. Can you imagine if Singapore snows??

I really think we should improve overall as drivers.

[Joneses]

obviously the rise in acciden is cuz of all these road hoggers ma... i'm sure many 'bros' here will agrees.. like u says.. traffic is slow.. cuz got hogger ma.. so the hogger make everyone tu lan (angry cannot control emotion liao) kancheong (make u wanna tail gate) n stress (cannot cope wif traffic conditions) so obviously they, the hoggers, are ultimately source of acciden

[Mean76]

wah, u a lot of terms leh, hahahahah

[Mean76]

Largest car as in lorries/ trucks you mean?

 

Or those 2L and above types?

[Chemz]

i doubt defensive driving would help much.. after all it's still road experience that lets the driver learn how to anticipate road scenarios that're not written in black & white..

 

nowadays got more n more new stunts that drivers pull, be it parking, driving, getting to one destination, etc.

 

it's like having trade secrets man! how to release sia. virtually every single road in singapore has a specific fastest lane to take, with when and where to overtake after incorporating several factors like traffic condition and traffic light timing.

[Icekitten]

5 seconds is a bit long to wait to turn AFTER the light has turned red leh.

 

Anyway you are supposed to ensure that oncoming traffic has come/is slowing to a stop before you turn.

 

It all boils down to individual mentality and personality. If you are a considerate person who thinks for others, you will automatically practice defensive driving even if you haven't been taught. If you are a self-centred person, chances are even if you were attended a defensive driving course, you wouldn't be making use of what you learnt.

[Mean76]

Well, I mean I can't stop front-rear type of collision but at least we can enforce rules on right turn during traffic lights.

 

That also takes up a high percentage of accidents somehow. And if experiences comes into the picture, ppl with 'experience' will attempt to right turn at the slight clear moment ... that can be written down black and white to stop it at least. Becoz ppl sometimes miscue. And if no fatalities involved, ok lah ...

[Ghostrider]

My personal thoughts are...

 

Accidents happen during slow traffic is bacause of...kiasu.

 

Once pple sense the other car in the other lane is about to enroach into his lane, they will speed up to close the gap...so sometime when he/she does that, and the car infront stops...bang !!

 

Why pple just dun give way ? (actually...if you dun signal...I will not give way to you too) Which I sometime tells my wife. SG roads has the most handicapped drivers. They dun have hands to flick their signals.

[Mean76]

Sometimes it might not be the pax turning that play punk ...

 

It could be the oncoming traffic, when they can't stop, they just dash across even when it's red, ... if having 5 sec rule, at least the car sees the red colour a distance away, he have to slow down like it or not. Sometimes we can't react fast when it changes to amber then red so fast, we just dash across.

 

I'm very impressed with the malacca 's traffic, they have this 'digital' second timer that tells you the lights will turn red in a conutdown mode. Very good efficient way to plan your driving path and also allow you to react correctly in a safe distance.

Edited December 1, 2006 by Mean76

[Mean76]

Maybe they should invent a chip and insert into your heads, everytime we think left, it will signal left automatically ....

[Passion]

Not only in Malacca.In JB already got this timer thingy.

[Icekitten]

Actually you're not supposed to turn on amber light. By right should only be turning after the red light and green arrow has come on. If it's going to be a red light with no green arrow appearing, and you're oredi past the stop line and in the middle of the junction, the adjacent traffic will have to give way to you and let you pass first even if the light has turned green for them.

 

If you're a turning vehicle and do your checks to observe the behaviour of oncoming traffic in the opposite direction, and wait for the red light and green arrow to come on instead of turning on amber, you should be able to tell whether any vehicle is going to take his chance and chiong the red light.

 

Usually ppl who chiong red light will still pass the light ard 1 sec after the light has turned red. Don't forget that they're picking up speed to chiong and to think that they can make it in the first place, they shouldn't be very far away when the light turned amber. If anyone still runs a red light more than 2 sec after it has turned red, it's very likely that the driver did not even see the red light and is going to run it anyway, whether it's 2 or 5 seconds later.

[Mean76]

Yes I agree but most likely in real scenerio ppl with 'experience' dash anyway. Don't who don't will be horned at.

 

Pretty bad attitiude.

[Watwheels]

I remembered a cabby driver being interviewed on TV. He was asked how come majority of taxis dun signal when filtering in btw lanes. Guess what the retard says?

 

 

 

He said when he sees a slot he just quickly move-in no time to think of signalling.

 

 

Our roads are really conjested. The point of ppl getting a car is convinence, a faster way to reach their destination. Hence a little delayed ppl will feel time is wasted and thus become agitated and impatient.

 

I myself feel that way. That's why I always switch on to slower music and take deep breaths to calm myself down whenever there's a jam.

[Icekitten]

Frankly, if it's right for me to wait, I don't give a damn to any impatient driver who horns me. It's my life, my family and my car, why should I let an impatient driver's horn irk me and decide my fate? If he's not happy and wants to come down and talk, we can always go to TP so he can argue his case. If not, don't waste my time.

[Requiemdk]

There are simply too many accidents happening on the roads now.

 

 

I personally witnessed an accident which happened right in front of my eyes.

 

30/11/06 Thurs (3.30pm)I'm traveling on the middle lane towards Changi at PIE E'way. Right after the bend at the Bukit Timah exit and all the cars are traveling at speed 20-30kmh (Due to an accident invloving 3-4 vehicles further ahead), A sunny just crash into the altis rear.

 

I wondered to myself .. WTF ... cars are already so slow and yet accident happen? What is shocking is how scrappy Altis and Sunny are. The Altis just bounced up on the air like it's floating ... the sunny just stall on the spot. Mind you, they are not direct impact, the sunny left front lights only touches the altis's right rear-light, but both the bumper/lights on both cars all flattened and the both cars swirled slightly left.

 

It occur to me that the last time I was invloved in an accident, my 92 stock coe corolla are still in one piece whlist the other parties lost the front completely.

 

And look at the recent bad accident/s at Hougang mall, bukit panjang. How badly the car ended up. This simply don't happen overnight!

 

 

IMHO,

 

i) I think the technical aspects of the car needs to improve. And we must be ready to pay a bit more for it. ETc, brakes,

 

ii) We should introduce defensive driving for all new drivers after they cleared the TP test. It's a must to go through it before the license are released.

 

iii) Right turn only when arrow turn green. 5 secs delay after the oncoming traffic turns red and before right turn. In case some idiots decides to dash across even when it has turn red (at least there's still a 5 sec reaction for the other side)

 

 

No doubt raining season is one of main reason for the increase of accidents but it is not acceptable. Can you imagine if Singapore snows??

I really think we should improve overall as drivers.

 

Very simple. In fact, a long time ago, back in primary school, they used to teach this little thing in Social Studies (or Civics and Moral Education) lessons, and even Chinese lessons. It's called "li3 rang4 jing1 shen2", or the spirit of giving way. You see primary school kids still have the sense to look at the driver and raise their hands while crossing the road and waving thank you after that. You don't see adults doing that at all.

 

And it's adults that get to drive. People have already mentioned - plenty of drivers feel the need to be kiasu, or have the idea "i always have the right of way as long as i'm following the law" (these people probably wouldn't know what hit them if they got smashed to bits by someone beating the red light at 200km/h, don't even talk about defensive driving for them). You signal to filter lane, they chiong to close the gap to stop you. In a traffic jam, you can see some people desparately filtering left and right trying to move faster, and some people die die also will insist on keeping 5 car length distance from the car in front even though traffic is barely moving at 20km/h. Impatience and lack of judgement = recipe for disaster.

 

What to do? If you implement a 5 second wait after the red light, people will just continue beating the red light for 5 seconds after it comes on. Then we'll be back at square one. Furthermore, it takes away the onus of using one's judgement to gauge whether it's safe to turn from the driver. Imagine sitting at an entirely empty junction at 3am waiting the green light to turn red, then 5 seconds, then the green arrow before you can turn, while previously you could just turn right because there's absolutely no traffic.

 

I think the TP should implement a 6 month validity driving licence. To renew it, everyone has to go through TP test again. Any sign of antisocial driving behaviour, be it roadhogging, tailgating, no signalling while changing lanes, reckless or impatient driving, should constitute an immediate failure with a ban on taking the test again for another 6 months. But it's all a dream. The TP doesn't have the manpower to do something like this. I think the TP only has 10 officers in total because all I ever see them doing is standing on overhead bridges and stoning by the side of the expressways.

 

Side note: In today's Straits Times, there's a report of an arse who jam-braked before an ERP gantry to insert his cashcard and thus causing an accident. This kind of crap also can happen - quite clearly, as a whole nation, we as drivers f***ing SUCK.

[Ghostrider]

I can't be bother to horn or high beam pple liao...I will only use the horn if its really necessary.

 

In jams, I will just stick in my own lane...cut here and there no assurance that you will be faster. No stress...wanna cut into my lane, signal and I let you in. No signal, just make sure you cut in nicely lor...if not I you will hear my saprano horn sing...

[BoneStock]

obviously the rise in acciden is cuz of all these road hoggers ma... i'm sure many 'bros' here will agrees.. like u says.. traffic is slow.. cuz got hogger ma.. so the hogger make everyone tu lan (angry cannot control emotion liao) kancheong (make u wanna tail gate) n stress (cannot cope wif traffic conditions) so obviously they, the hoggers, are ultimately source of acciden

Yes, I agree. Road hoggers are a more common sight nowadays. After the speed limit for commercial vehicles increased to 70, I notice more comm vehicles occupying middle lane...at hogging speeds of course. Drivers who used to travel on the middle lanes now move to the right lane more often...hogging the extreme right lane