Death by Singapore Drivers

[quidsin]

Why is there such a comprehensive driver training and examination system in Singapore yet the drivers here are terribly poor at controlling their vehicles and so pig-headed that they never give way?

I read a story last week about 2 young men who died in accident because the driver was 'apparently' swerving to avoid a cyclist. The car was a Subaru (boy racer car) and his passenger friend also owned one, but his was in the garage for repair following an accident on the PIE the weekend before. The dead drivers wife said she was aware that her husband/boyfriend enjoyed making modifications to his vehicle, to her disapproval. He leaves behind a wife and 2 young children which is terrible tragedy for his family.

I am not going to pretend that I was there and witnessed the event, but one needn't be surprised by such a tragedy when you witness attrocious driving habits in Singapore each day which can take others lives who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought drivers in Malaysia were bad, but Singaporeans take the biscuit

[sundaymorningstaple]

It's been determined that the aggressive driving gene is directly related to the myopic gene here with both being governed by the mental SDU that stresses the need for rudeness & discourteous social actions at all costs. Therefore it affects approximately 70% or more of the local population. The government has tried various genetic engineering schemes to alleviate some of the symptoms by various means, like the "O" level parents scheme, ongoing campaigns that have run for 35 years without an iota of success, fines and so forth. Unfortunately there hasn't been much success in reversing this genetic trait. On the upside though, it does make them good candidates for Darwin Awards when they go to Australia, NZ and even Malaysia and then drive the same way by challenging logging trucks, interstate buses and road trains. For each of them that offs themselves we can that our lucky stars that a least one small part of the defective gene pool won't be passed on to the next generation.

[admin0]

I would have given a 5 star for the answer if there was a rating system
kudos

[Left Wing]

whats with tail gating at 100kmh..in your plastic Evo X......feel like investing in a humvee..with a gun turret....

[quidsin]

I just cannot comprehend what goes through their thick heads when they are doing it - like, how much time are you going to save in such a small place like Singapore? On the other hand, they'll get to the grave quicker and then there will be less of the muppets on the road.

[sillingw]

I have to admit that a couple of times (well maybe more) when I have some idiot behind me trying to drive into the trunk (boot) of my car, I hit my brakes - I know one day, they will not react fast enough and i will have the problem of getting repairs, but just to see the look on their faces it's worth it - my car is a bit more solidly built. I know it's not nice, I know it's not exactly safe, but hopefully a couple of the idiots got an education

[the_saint]

one of the reason (i guess) why people drive so close is: If you are in a slightly faster lane then the other one, and if u leave a large gap, the drivers from the slow lane tend to merge into the faster lane.

This practice is very common but it irritates those who drive safe.

[durain]

to achieve better fuel economy, tail gate to be more aerodymanic caused by the vortex from the car in front. with better fuel economy, the driver is reducing carbon footprint too.

[Saint]

I have to admit that a couple of times (well maybe more) when I have some idiot behind me trying to drive into the trunk (boot) of my car, I hit my brakes - I know one day, they will not react fast enough and i will have the problem of getting repairs, but just to see the look on their faces it's worth it - my car is a bit more solidly built. I know it's not nice, I know it's not exactly safe, but hopefully a couple of the idiots got an education

Exactly what I do, nothing wrong with a couple of taps on the brake pedal. If that doesn't work I just take my foot of the accelerator and gently slow down!

Also!

When I'm merrily driving along and I want to change lane, check the mirrors, a good 30 plus yards behind is the next car in the lane I require to move in to, make my intensions to change lanes clearly by indicating........ now why the bloody hell does this then set off some alarm bells in the driver's head that requires him/her to kick down a couple of gears, accelerate hard, hand on horn flashing your head lights!!! What's the point, I'm going to change lanes whether you like it or not!

[sillingw]

Saint - man after my own heart

Durain - agree with the possibility of fuel conservation - except that constant accelerator/brake combo kinda defeats it and the amount of 4-5-6 car pileups I see leads me to think of the environmental impact of numerous car repairs - have you seen the repair shops off alexander - man are they busy.

but I still like to flash the breaks when they get too close

[durain]

speak of the devil! i saw 2 crashes in 2 days and at crawling speed! reason? tail gate!!!

[ukdesigner]

Question....

They drive so fast (and badly), press the lift button constantly to make it go faster why do they walk so bloody slow?

It irritates the sh*t out of me. I actually watch snails walk (or slither if that's the correct term) faster than them!!

They always seem to be in a rush except when walking

[sundaymorningstaple]

[ScoobyDoes]

It's not just a driver issue, it's a people issue.

The same lack of Spacial Awareness affects pedestrian just as much. How many times do you have to shove somebody off the top or bottom of the escalator because the "I'm alright Jack" of them getting off and then deciding where to go means they just stop right in front of you!

Also, it's not just a Singapore thing, but generally an Asian thing. The same happens in HK.

[DimWit Kid]

Methink Indonesians are the best driver in the world.