Reckless driving on ECP by 'rally cars'

[David]

I was sure it was not one of ours...but then, like the weather, you could not be sure right?

 

Reckless driving on ECP by 'rally cars' , ST Forum 11 August 2003

 

I WAS riding my motorcycle on the East Coast Parkway at about 8.40am on July 26 when a convoy of five cars, travelling at a very high speed, overtook me.

 

The last car in the convoy was a green sedan driven by a young woman. She had three passengers and everyone in the car wore cream-coloured baseball caps.

 

About a minute later, I noticed two cars coming from behind, also at great speed. One was a sedan while the other was a white sports utility vehicle.

 

The green sedan driven by the young woman swerved into lanes of traffic, which was rather heavy, without any indication. She cut from lane one to lane three, then back to lane one.

 

The white SUV, which I think was a Lexus R300, did much the same thing.

 

Hoping to get the licence plate number of at least one of the cars, I tried to catch up but decided against it after realising that they were travelling way in excess of the speed limit.

 

However, I did gather that the seven cars were taking part in an organised rally because they all had decals. The only word I could see on the decals was 'wheels'.

 

Not only were the cars travelling at a dangerous speed but some of them were also being driven practically bumper to bumper.

 

My question is, do the organisers of car rallies put a time limit on these events which causes participants to drive the way these drivers were doing?

 

Are they even aware of the danger they cause?

 

On at least one occasion, a vehicle had to brake suddenly when one of the convoy cars cut in front of it.

 

Can the relevant authorities look into this matter and perhaps even involve themselves more in such events?

 

This is not the first time I have seen such a thing happening and it is unlikely to be the last. Will it take a major accident before something is done about it?

 

PATRICK ERNEST FERNANDO

[Duadua2]

there will be more TP n LTA ops in the future,very soon.so be prepared to have a roadblock anytime,anywhere.so no more speeding on the roads u guys.

[Pauly75ts]

"you could not be sure right?"

 

Hi! there, David,

 

I'm sure that, David E. Fernando, is a considerate motorist, as are most road users, even though they are tail-gating or road-hogging.

 

To question rally organisers in their organisation or behavior of participants, he should first participate in an approved event that's held by many clubs & organisations.

 

He'd probably encountered a convoy of buddies/friends who are in it together. Accidents in a convoy among friends/buddy is high, as ego takes over. Those with the thought of my car or driving skill is better than yours, is a sure way to end in an accident, both to themselves & other road users.

 

Organisers of such rally don't have control over participants, other than to inform all to drive safely, otherwise it'd not be approved by the authorities. I've participate in rallies in SG, the range of drivers are what you see on the road everyday. From family outings or Sunday drives to 2Fast & 2Furious. Compare to rallies up north, where hitting a cow or wild animal is possible, with speeds at full throttle.

 

Rgds

 

Paul Yong

[David]

When ppl are together in a group, they act and react differently.

 

What I am driving at is, since quite a handsome figure of us has have the MCF label, please bear that in mind that others are looking at it for whatever reason. So be responsible on the road, in the carpark, anywhere.

 

For the letter, it may not have been a rally at all. Wheels is a vehicle magazine, it may so happened that these cars bear that label. Now Wheels may have to do some damage control.

[Pauly75ts]

"When ppl are together in a group"

 

Hi! there, David,

 

I've always like to drive alone, so don't have to worry about others.

 

Did my first convoy on a m/bike, ended up by the side of the road the whole night, when 4 bikes crashed into each other, after one of them lost control at a bend and hit a bus.

 

After that, I'd just happily ride/drive alone.

 

Rgds

 

Paul Yong

[David]

I never like bike.

[Silver_z]

This guy complaining that cars are swerving around the roads dangerously. Have he ever thot that it was bikers that are the biggest hazard on the road? Not Only do they swerve from lane to lane, but also squeezed between cars at high speed. One sure way to create a safer and hazardous road is to ban motorbikes on the highway. Do they even need a highway? Any road to them is like a highway, squeezing and zooming about.

[David]

Yes! it did cross my mine that they did and they do, as much as they are also very sure there are motorcars coming dangerously close to them on the highway, zigzagging whithout giving ample notice.

 

And I am sure that my mother have complaint about bicyles weaving left/right on the pedestrain walkways and lying haphazardly in the void decks, skateboards zooming dangerously close to one taking a breezely walk in the park.

[Silver_z]

Mabbe I should start a post on this issue.

[Silver_z]

5 dead in 24 hours

By K.C. Vijayan

 

SINGAPORE recorded its worst death toll on the road in nine months this weekend when five people died within 24 hours.

 

 

Ms Sofiah was killed while on her way back home from work. Scores of her relatives and classmates attended her funeral yesterday at her grandmother's home in Woodlands Street 41. -- BERITA HARIAN

Four people died on National Day on Saturday while the fifth died around 4am yesterday, from head injuries he suffered when his motorcycle went out of control.

 

Close to 24 hours earlier, around 6.55am, a similar accident killed a student who was riding pillion on her way home after finishing work as a waitress in a bar at Chijmes in Bras Basah Road.

 

Head injuries killed Lasalle-SIA student Noor Sofiah Abdul Rahman, 24, when the bike she was on hit the central divider of Seletar Expressway.

 

Said her twin brother Muhammad Qamar Sofi yesterday: 'She was a bubbly girl and she asked me to cook some prawn fritters for her.

 

'That was the last thing she said to me before she left for work on Friday night.'

 

Her death was the first in the 24-hour period, in which three of the five accidents involved motorcycles with young people on them.

 

The other two were lunchtime accidents involving lorries.

 

A lorry killed a 56-year-old pedestrian who was crossing Hougang Street 61, while a 43-year-old lorry driver died when his vehicle crashed into a tree near Marina City Park.

 

In the three motorcycle accidents, the 22-year-old national serviceman who was taking Ms Sofiah home is alive but half-conscious.

 

He and Ms Sofiah were flung off the bike when it hit the Seletar Expressway's central divider.

 

The other two motorcyclists who died had been riding bikes for about two months.

 

One of them, ironically, had little desire to own one.

 

However, when his roommate returned to Bangladesh, technician Mihir Kanti Biswas, 27, reluctantly took over the machine.

 

Said his colleague Mohammed Saiful Islam, 28: 'He kept telling us motorbikes are very dangerous.'

 

He died when his bike hit the road guard rail as he took a sharp bend at a slip road in Clementi Avenue 6. It happened around 7pm.

 

He was travelling to the Labour Ministry in Havelock Road from his home in Jurong West Street 41, to familiarise himself with the route for an appointment at the ministry today.

 

He died in hospital at about 7.45pm, from severe head injuries and broken ribs.

 

Less than 12 hours later, national serviceman Chan Ming Hui died in similar circumstances.

 

He was heading towards Rochor Road when he lost control of his bike at a slip road on Ayer Rajah Expressway and hit a guard rail.

 

His pillion, a 22-year-old national serviceman, is warded in hospital with serious injuries. Mr Chan died from head injuries at about 4.20am, less than 40 minutes after the accident yesterday.

 

His sobbing sister Irene Chan, 24, a financial planner, told The Straits Times she had objected to her brother owning a bike.

 

'I was against it because riding a bike is very dangerous,' she said. 'But with peer pressure, he wanted to own one. He asked my mother and she bought him one.'

[E36UDM]

Agree some bikers swerve in and out of lanes and in between but problem is when you get into an accident with them very hard to win not unless they kiss your backside I hope bikers practice saftey driving kinda stressful for us sometimes when you gotta to worry will they swerve into your lane or not

[Alan22]

ermm how come when we got into accident with bikes we cant win.. i find it easier.. cos the bikes alwys go in and out...between cars.. its beri dangerous and against the rule to do it.. so if any bike accident unless we hit their butt... or else we would be in favour...

 

[Silver_z]

Its like cars vs pedestrian. Pedestrian has a 100% win over cars, and bikers have like 70%-80% win over cars. No matter what a pedestrian do, you hit the bugger, you are farked!

[Gadgeter]

bikers have like 70%-80% win over cars. No matter what a pedestrian do, you hit the bugger, you are farked!

 

Well, not quite true about that, unless you are talking about m'sia which is a different story liao..

[Acemundo]

you mean you don't know the unwritten rule?

 

my dad kena whack in the behind by motorcyle, the tp still insist my dad is in the wrong. i cannot understand the logic at all. After hearing other accounts, concluded that the weaker the person getting into the accident, the stronger his chance of winning..........

 

hence like what silver_z said, pedestrian 100%, bike 70-80%

 

that's why i steer clear of bikes......and drive very carefully on normal roads. i tend to go faster in e'way as there are no pedestrians.

[Mojoe]

actually it depends on the rider, so shouldn't generalise all bikers lah

 

I rode for 7-8 years and never had a major accident before (except a small one ) and I do go in between cars (but not at high speed) coz that's the whole point of a bike, i.e., to beat the traffic.

 

as a biker, you need to practise defensive riding and anticipate things... situational awareness, but i guess a lot of younger bikers don't practise that .

 

I actually find riding bike safer than driving, now that I am driving... strange? Well, it's because on a bike you can see more and react faster plus the fact that I know I'm vulnerable on a bike, I tend to be extra careful. In car now, sometimes I tend to overlook things or even stone-out coz you are kind of in your own world, "protected" by the car . I supposed because you are "covered" by metal, you relax your guard and think you are safer..

 

so the morale of the story is... it's never the vehicle, just the driver/rider... with that I must apologise about some comments I made about young Civics drivers

[Alan22]

oh... i didnt noe the unwritten rule.. but wat i noe is.. i was riding my bike and i knock into one car infront who does an ebrake...i got hold by TP and was told tat they are going to charge mi for tat.. i was lying in the hospital and still got to wheel chair here and there to do interviews.

 

in the end i need to pay all his bloody damaged for falling into his trap.. does and ebrake and i kisses his arse and i pay him

 

so now who has the winning side?

Edited August 12, 2003 by Alan22

[Madarmour]

This guy complaining that cars are swerving around the roads dangerously. Have he ever thot that it was bikers that are the biggest hazard on the road? Not Only do they swerve from lane to lane, but also squeezed between cars at high speed. One sure way to create a safer and hazardous road is to ban motorbikes on the highway. Do they even need a highway? Any road to them is like a highway, squeezing and zooming about.

 

It's better to have a bike lane on the expressway. Like Federal Hwy in PJ.