Monday, June 04, 2012

Practice defensive driving


An edited version of tThis letter is published in the Straits Times Online on 4 June 2012.

27 May 2012
Editor, Forum Page
Straits Times

The One Motoring website stated that, unless otherwise indicated, 
the speed limit on our roads is 50 km. This may not be widely known, as it is 
quite common to see many vehicles be driven at a faster speed on our roads.

I suggest that more publicity should be given on the speed limit, especially as 
many foreigners are now allowed driving on our Singapore roads.

Recently, there were fatal and serious accidents involving fast and reckless
driving, especially in the early morning. I urge the authority to take action 
against these drivers. With modern technology, it should be easy to identify
these cases and follow up with prosecution.
There should also be exhortation on the need for defensive driving. Even if 
a vehicle has the right of way, a prudent driver should be ready to stop a vehicle 
in time to prevent a collision.

Many drivers are impatient and in a rush. They are unwilling to give way to a 
vehicle in front that signals an intent to change lane. 

Singapore is a small place and our roads are getting more congested. There is 
no need for cars to be driven at a fast speed.

3 comments:

Lye Khuen Way said...

We have the LTA, the Traffic Police, the National Safety Council, but none of them seems keen to promote, remind all & sundry what Safety is all about.
We always need some significant body count for some actions. It is part of human nature not to rock the boat, right?
Our roads beside its speed limits need a through review of lane width.
Why?
My estimate is that less than 10% of the left-most lanes of All roads or Expressways are really wide enough for safe use by bendy buses, container trailers, normal buses.

Turning radius for some roads are real challenges.
Worst are "private" malls and commercial buildings.
LTA approves the import of all manners of vehicles,.

One more point for reflection : Ever wonder why speed limit usually drop to 50km /hr over bridges?
Bet you 95% of vehicles do not give two hoots about it!

Jeremy Ow said...

I agree with your comment that drivers in Singapore are generally impatient and in a rush. I sometimes encounter problems trying to filter and change lane as drivers are simply driving so fast even much faster than the allowed road limit and refused to give way to me changing lane. When so many drivers are beating the road limit driving as though they are on a highway even on small roads, how safe can one change lane without getting knocked down by other drivers?

yujuan said...

Govt Agencies are really so daft and lazy. There is a need for many people to die before they would heed advice from the public to take action.
After the ferrari accident tragedy, someone pointed out that the traffic lights at Rochor/Victoria Junction
need a more prominent lighting structure to be built, but LTA officials still stuck to their guns that they dun see the need now. Until a second accident occurred, then they agree to put one up, and ever so quickly.
Ditto with the problem of foreign domestic maids cleaning their employers' windows.
So many maids have died, and the Migrant Workers Org have been pressing the Govt for so long to
protect maids from this death defying chore, until now then they
decide to taken action reluctantly.
In the process so many innocent maids have to lose their lives, how could our Officials treat these maids so callously.
Perhaps being enclosed cosily in their aircon rooms, they just refuse to do any work considered extra, other than their scope of daily work.
So proves the critics right, the PAP Govt is getting more and more inefficient and lazy, so high pay has stunted their brain power, either unable or unwilling to think out of the box.

Blog Archive