Appalling driving standards in Singapore

[Desmonaut]

I moved to SG from Hong Kong 6 months ago - and as a driver, I must voice my frustrations and anger at the utterly pathetic driving standards here.

Following on from the Ferrari/Rochor incident was another one at the same place at 11pm last night. Frankly, these incidents are not few and isolated - cars in SG routinely jump red lights through the day. The consequences at night are much greater due to fewer cars and higher speeds.

Cars routinely cross solid white lines on the road ignoring other drivers, pedestrians - I've had cars trying to overtake down Cairnhill Road and cross over the solid white line heading into oncoming traffic, cars cross the solid double white lines on Orchard road, even the public buses often cutting across hatched white lines while merging lanes.

I would like to take this up with some relevant authorities to offer suggestions to improve - who does one write to?

[sundaymorningstaple]

LTA. But you are wasting your time. Believe me. I've been here 30 years. They are taught not how to drive, but only how to aim the car. :-/

This is what you will be doing......

Oh, and welcome to Singapore.

[Desmonaut]

Lol...certainly seems that way.

Shall give it a shot anyways. Am in advertising, so I might know a trick or two to get some airtime.

Cheers

[Strong Eagle]

A single solid white line only means that you cannot park on either side of the road. Passing is permissible. A double white line means no passing.

[Desmonaut]

...I stand corrected. But overtaking head on into oncoming traffic?

[Strong Eagle]

...I stand corrected. But overtaking head on into oncoming traffic?

There are jerks everywhere. I find motorcycling in Singapore to be significantly safer than in most US cities... Houston, for example.

I do, from time to time, have issues with the owners of the big expensive BMW's and Mercs who seem to think that because their car has a 740i on it, it has the automatic right of way... even on the wrong side of the street.

Most people seem if follow the law, even if driving in somewhat of a haze.

[ScoobyDoes]

...I stand corrected. But overtaking head on into oncoming traffic?

That's perfectly normal in Europe, for example, on country roads etc. to pass cars by going into the opposite lane..... the point is only to measure the space, make it stick and don't break the law doing it (i.e. Speeding).

If you are really bothered by standards, stick a video recorder in your car and start passing exerts to the police. There are kids available as standard with a couple of small cameras (e.g. front & back) for recording to HD or SSD. This is how they managed to get the videos of the Ferrari and Lexus hitting the taxis, it is quite common for people to have these things fitted here and I'm definitely going to consider sticking them into my next car.

[ecureilx]

...I stand corrected. But overtaking head on into oncoming traffic?

Now that's shocking .. considering that all major roads here have island / dividers ..

Oh, I always never fail to not laugh, when they are painting the Expressway lane dividers .. people zoom at 100 kmph, and then there is a warning that "no dividers due to maintenance" and instantly everybody drops to 10 kmph ..

Well, that's what ails Singapore drivers .. take out the white line, and they cannot drive ..

Oh, now tell me, you aren't talking of Singapore, are you ??

[BillyB]

Have you read the comments on some of the news sites?

Amazingly, it's now the fault of the traffic light system. Fickle idiots......

[poodlek]

...I stand corrected. But overtaking head on into oncoming traffic?

That's perfectly normal in Europe, for example, on country roads etc. to pass cars by going into the opposite lane.....

In Canada too where there are long stretches of the Trans-Canada highway that have only one lane in each direction...but I'd be appalled if I saw it done in a city, especially one as busy as Singapore.

[ecureilx]

Have you read the comments on some of the news sites?

Amazingly, it's now the fault of the traffic light system. Fickle idiots......

While not fully agreeing to it .. there is an issue here .. when the LTA people reduce the light times, based on traffic pattern.

Like last week, driving my cousin's car, saw green, suppposed to turn right at the light, and saw right turn green on, and within 3 seconds the right turned blinked itself off.

Me braked, seeing the right turn switched off so fast, and the guy behind me thought I would go, and braked hard and stopped a few millimeter behind me.

Welcome to Singapore, even driving is in Fast Forward ..

Yes, I know .. life is always on the fast lane in Singapore .. Moral of the story - drive with extra and extra care .. you never know the traffic light timings.

And my constant gripe is the pedestrian crossing when you are turning, and if pedestrians decide to sail at 2 knots, by the time the pedestrian reached the end, my side has already become orange and I gotta scoot off or get caught in the yellow box !!!!!!

[zzm9980]

Have you read the comments on some of the news sites?

Amazingly, it's now the fault of the traffic light system. Fickle idiots......

Oh, you mean the driver in the second accident wasn't a foreigner?

[BillyB]

Have you read the comments on some of the news sites?

Amazingly, it's now the fault of the traffic light system. Fickle idiots......

Oh, you mean the driver in the second accident wasn't a foreigner?

Affirmative....

P.S. Squirrel - you could talk the hind legs off a set of traffic lights.

[sundaymorningstaple]

[ecureilx]

SMS / Billyb: Moi tried to rub some salt and didn't work I guess