AsiaOne: How Safe Are Our Roads?

[Bicolor]

Sometimes also due to the design of the road which contribute to the jams on the road. One very good example is merge lane. I really dont understand what is the purpose of a merge lane?

 

I don't find anything wrong with merging lanes apart from the fact that the ones in Singapore are sometimes a bit too short and merge too quickly. I find that it is more of the way people refuse to take turns and fight to get just one car length ahead of each other, or drive all the way as far as they can go into the merging lanes before focefully merging, that causes the traffic buildup. In many other countries (for example, many European countries, from what my foreign friends told me, and even Hong Kong in my own experience), the majority of people (apart from the odd joker) generally take turns to merge in a disciplined way and traffic moves more smoothly.

 

My HK friend recently drove here and complained that among other issues, his number 1 pet peeve was the fact that Singapore drivers don't know how to merge properly

[13177]

Not happy don't drive leh. Take public transport

 

Speed do not kill people, idiot people do

 

When I was (insert a first world country), I seen someone drive very agressively, so (insert country) are not better.

 

Just kidding, but this is the kind of replies I seen often here. In a nutshell, nothing much will change because people atttude will not change, sadly.

 

Its cost nothing to drive safer, be more considerate, but everyone (except repair workshops) benefit from less stress on the road, less insurance premium. if we all try to be a better driver.

Agreed, not happy dont drive. Nowadays if can i also dont want to drive, cause there are too many idiots on the road.

[Taipan49]

I do agree that people turning right tend to be poor at judging when to do so. As soon as I see people looking to turn right I start to drive very cautiously as been too many times that I have to tap on the brakes to avoid them crossing the front of my car. Usually they are turning into their house/estate/condo so impatient to get home.

 

And as for merging, I don't know why people want to make a last gasp effort to get in front of other cars when all it could cost you is seconds to let the car in the other lane that is just ahead of you to merge in front of you, but all your effort does is end up slowing down traffic in general. Makes no sense.

[Taipan49]

Agreed, not happy dont drive. Nowadays if can i also dont want to drive, cause there are too many idiots on the road.

 

I drive less and less now also. Too many crazies and too many jams. Find it much better on my bike. And if I do drive on expressways, I just stick to lane 2 and 3 and completely avoid the tailgaters/road-hoggers. Much more pleasant.

[Quantum]

I do agree that people turning right tend to be poor at judging when to do so. As soon as I see people looking to turn right I start to drive very cautiously as been too many times that I have to tap on the brakes to avoid them crossing the front of my car. Usually they are turning into their house/estate/condo so impatient to get home.

 

And as for merging, I don't know why people want to make a last gasp effort to get in front of other cars when all it could cost you is seconds to let the car in the other lane that is just ahead of you to merge in front of you, but all your effort does is end up slowing down traffic in general. Makes no sense.

I do agree your opinion for merging, but this Singapore, you have to bear those idiots :angry:

btw, I always give those idiots, especially those taxis, small lorries :angry:

[Sg2303]

Wah, I'm very familiar with all except number 1.

 

In fact, I travelled number 2 - 5 like countless times. :o

 

 

I like junctions with green arrows. Green arrow comes out means oncoming traffic stops, red man also comes out, can turn right safely.

 

I have seen so many near misses with right turning vehicles. They either turn without confirming that there is no on-coming vehicles or they turn without confirming that there are no pedestrians crossing the road. You just cannot see clearly at some junctions especially if the view is blocked by vans, lorries or buses waiting to turn right on the opposite side.

 

 

Edited March 12, 2013 by Sg2303

[TVT]

Don't talk about black spots. How about those who don't switch on headlights at light while driving? How about those who installed overly bright headlights that blind other drivers? Basic rule of safety also don't follow. So many of such irresponsible drivers out there.....sure our roads not safe lah.

[TVT]

The other accident prone zone to me was the Punggol Rd-Rivervale Dr/Compassvale St junction based on my early years of working around that area:

Agreed. I think got fatal accident there before. Actually the whole Sengkang area seems dangerous to me. I think there are many blind spots around there.....

[1fast1]

Instead of all this preaching and pontificating about us needing to change our "mindset", the one immediate thing the gahmen can do is to do away with junctions where turning vehicles have to watch out for pedestrians in addition to oncoming cars!!! This is one of the most unsafe things I've seen on our roads. Surely the gahmen would've learned their lesson belatedly after those two poor kids lost their lives to the lorry driver?

[inlinesix]

Inconsiderate speeding is not an issue here. The problem is a lot of drivers leave their brain at home when they drive.

[Myxilplix]

Instead of all this preaching and pontificating about us needing to change our "mindset", the one immediate thing the gahmen can do is to do away with junctions where turning vehicles have to watch out for pedestrians in addition to oncoming cars!!! This is one of the most unsafe things I've seen on our roads. Surely the gahmen would've learned their lesson belatedly after those two poor kids lost their lives to the lorry driver?

 

The problem is that you will find people/cyclists crossing even when red man is on and right turn arrow for cars from opposite side is lit up. Granted it will probably cut down some incidents if the green man+green light system is done away with. All junctions should be installed with the right turn red/amber/green arrow system. No green arrow no go.

 

Personally i feel the drivers/riders/pedestrians/cyclists are just as crap now as they were 5-10 years ago.

[Nicholas]

Just a while ago I said why can't SG be like Malaysia, when there's no green arrow, then just show red arrow, it'll be safer at junctions, but we just have to wait a while more. I know there's already a few at accident prone area but they should implement that on major junctions.

http://www.mycarforum.com/index.php?showtopic=2687181

 

Red light cams no use for that.

[Sdf5725]

Instead of all this preaching and pontificating about us needing to change our "mindset", the one immediate thing the gahmen can do is to do away with junctions where turning vehicles have to watch out for pedestrians in addition to oncoming cars!!! This is one of the most unsafe things I've seen on our roads. Surely the gahmen would've learned their lesson belatedly after those two poor kids lost their lives to the lorry driver?

 

in fact, i dont see any problem on any junction in Singapore. it is the driver's attitude that create all these accidents. every time i encounter driver who are going to turn right behave like racer and try to beat oncoming traffic and ignore pedestrians who are crossing the road. they already forgotten that to make a right turn before the green right arrow on is a privilege provided that there is no oncoming traffic and pedestrians crossing the road. all their mind is to beat the oncoming traffic. just be a 2 seconds hero put themselves and others in danger.

if die die want to control, tp has to treat all the drivers as misbehaved kids and put in red right turn arrow. it is the same as left turn also. if every one is driving like they are going for traffic test and with mature mind, there will not have so many accidents in Singapore. too bad there are a lot of problematic drivers that drives like mad man. and a lot of foolish drivers, what they do is "monkey see monkey do".

[Darthrevan]

ultimately it depends on how people behaves when they're on the roads..no amount of technology or rules can prevent accidents

 

[Redboy]

I do agree that people turning right tend to be poor at judging when to do so. As soon as I see people looking to turn right I start to drive very cautiously as been too many times that I have to tap on the brakes to avoid them crossing the front of my car. Usually they are turning into their house/estate/condo so impatient to get home.

 

And as for merging, I don't know why people want to make a last gasp effort to get in front of other cars when all it could cost you is seconds to let the car in the other lane that is just ahead of you to merge in front of you, but all your effort does is end up slowing down traffic in general. Makes no sense.

 

 

i have one word for you

 

'kiasu'

[Kb27]

Maybe our traffic junction control is a mess.

When green light in your favour, you have to wait for any pedestrians crossing on your left or on your right, while at the same time watching oncoming traffic.

 

If I remember correctly in NZ, pedestrians do not cross at this time.

 

At some point after all the crossing vehicles has stopped, pedestrians can now cross anyway, even diagonally, bcoz all traffic has now stopped.

 

When there's no traffic moving, there's no accident waiting to happen.

[Happily1986]

in fact, i dont see any problem on any junction in Singapore. it is the driver's attitude that create all these accidents. every time i encounter driver who are going to turn right behave like racer and try to beat oncoming traffic and ignore pedestrians who are crossing the road. they already forgotten that to make a right turn before the green right arrow on is a privilege provided that there is no oncoming traffic and pedestrians crossing the road. all their mind is to beat the oncoming traffic. just be a 2 seconds hero put themselves and others in danger.

if die die want to control, tp has to treat all the drivers as misbehaved kids and put in red right turn arrow. it is the same as left turn also. if every one is driving like they are going for traffic test and with mature mind, there will not have so many accidents in Singapore. too bad there are a lot of problematic drivers that drives like mad man. and a lot of foolish drivers, what they do is "monkey see monkey do".

 

Ya, i frequently encounter drivers who negotiate right turns at cross junctions like they would at T junctions. they would conveniently park their vehicles 45 degrees, just shy of transgressing the pedestrian crossing (while waiting for pedestrians to cross).

 

All the while, they conveniently forget or i would think, ignore the fact that there might or there are vehicles coming headlong at them (straight)

 

These are the drivers you want to go after.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Happily1986

[Vulcann]

I think the 'Poor Traffic light synchronization/timing (insufficient) resulting in one branch getting stuck even though it is green' is one of the major reason resulting in heavy traffic and jams on the road. You can notice that many traffic light turned green at one junction, but immediate at the next traffic light is red. As a result all cars 'jam' at the junction.

 

By right there is a design criterion of traffic light synchronisation in our road management system in the sense that a vehicle travelling at the allowable speed limit along a major arterial road will theoretically shun shun clear all road junctions without stopping.

 

In reality however this is not always possible in practice because of many factors such as traffic accidents, peak hour traffic, more side roads joining the main arterial roads, at the intersection of another major arterial road etc.