Seven habits of the Singapore Driver

[therock]

Does this describe you?

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/the-seven-habits-of-the-spore-driver

 

Speeding

Overtaking

Beating red lights

Not giving way

Potong jalan 

Poor Parking 

Not using the signal indicator 

 

[Old-driver]

For me, mostly the 1st two points.

Points 6 and 7 are my peeves. 

 

[Jamesc]

Can add accelerating when people signal to change lanes

and not stopping at zebra crossing.

I am very proud to tell everyone here I ALWAYS ALWAYS

stop at zebra crossing

but only for school girls and bar girls.

😀

Anyone else I no stop.

This is all true.

[13177]

Wonder does the above poor driving habits also apply to drivers in other countries? Lol.

[Jamesc]

People speeding to me is not a problem.

The problem is people driving slow on lane 1.

They just cause congestion and should have their licence revoked.

😀

[Jamesc]

8 minutes ago, 13177 said:

Wonder does the above poor driving habits also apply to drivers in other countries? Lol.

In Malaysia someone signaled to change lane and I accelerated to cut them off.

Then he overtook me and gave me a really dirty look.

Then I realise in Malaysia people can just signal and cut out.

I found it really useful. 

Turning onto a main road and car coming, just signal and come out lah

the car will slow down.

😀

[Lotr]

35 minutes ago, 13177 said:

Wonder does the above poor driving habits also apply to drivers in other countries? Lol.

Exactly. What's so special about local driving culture? There are others that are better and there are others that are worse.

[Count-Bracula]

Overtaking because of hogger. I always give way if the driver signals. I do not speed anymore.

[Volvobrick]

Fake news. Because hogging, tailgating, dreaming when traffic lights turn green, not accelerating on green light.... Not on the list. 

[Tannl]

2 hours ago, Jamesc said:

Can add accelerating when people signal to change lanes

and not stopping at zebra crossing.

I am very proud to tell everyone here I ALWAYS ALWAYS

stop at zebra crossing

but only for school girls and bar girls.

😀

Anyone else I no stop.

This is all true.

Thought as long as not your MIL you should stop 😂

[therock]

Quote

1. SPEEDING

Singapore is full of Lewis Hamilton-wannabes. The Singapore driver loves speed. He ignores the speed limit and races from traffic light to traffic light. He will accelerate his car even when he can see that the traffic light ahead is red.

The Singapore driver has an addiction to speed. The situation has got worse since the arrival of Formula One!

2. OVERTAKING

The second bad habit of the Singapore driver is the impulse to overtake the car in front of him. This could be due to our kiasu mindset. We must always stay ahead of the competition.

In Singapore, you have to watch out for cars overtaking you from the right, which is legal, as well as cars overtaking you from the left, which is not lawful.

 

 

 

ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO

 

 

The Singapore driver will overtake you even when it makes no sense to do so. I have often encountered a situation in which I am approaching a traffic intersection and I intend to go straight. The driver behind me intends to make a left turn. He will overtake me and force me to slow down so that he can make that left turn. In such a situation, it makes no sense for him to overtake me.

3. BEATING THE RED LIGHT

As we approach an intersection, we are supposed to slow down and stop when the traffic light changes from green to amber, and then to red.

Most Singapore drivers tend to accelerate as they approach a traffic light, and beating the red light without being caught seems to be a national sport.

The danger is that when a driver proceeds too soon after the traffic light has turned green, he may have a collision with a car that is speeding through a red light.

I know of one case when such a collision resulted in a fatality. An innocent child, sitting in the front passenger's seat, was killed when a car, speeding through a red light, hit the car driven by the child's father which was proceeding lawfully through a green light.

4. NEVER GIVE WAY

Sometimes, through no fault of your own, you find yourself in a lane which is blocked by an obstacle.

You put on your indicator that you wish to turn right into the next lane.

In many cities, the driver in the next lane will slow down and give you a break. In Singapore, instead of giving you a break, the drivers in the next lane will accelerate in order to prevent you from filtering into the next lane.

Is this also a part of our kiasu syndrome? The mindset seems to be that we live in a highly competitive world and there is no place for kindness or courtesy. It is every man for himself.

5. POTONG JALAN

Potong jalan, in Malay, means "to cut queue", in colloquial terms. In colonial Singapore, the practice of potong jalan was common because there were many gangsters, thugs and members of secret societies, and the police were weak.

Post-1959, the norm is everyone queues up and no one is allowed to jump the queue. The exception is on our roads. It is very annoying to wait patiently to make a turn and to be confronted by cars which have cut in line and insist on inserting themselves into your lane.

The police should stamp out this bad practice which violates our sense of fair play and the rule of law.

6. POOR PARKING

Some Singapore drivers have developed some bad habits when parking their cars. I have seen a car parked in the middle of two spaces.

One day, at a carpark near a market, I saw a well-dressed lady, driving an expensive car, parking her car in a handicap space. I went over to her and politely told her to park her car at one of the other empty spaces. She told me to mind my own business. I should have taken a photo of her car and put it on my Facebook page.

On another occasion, I had parked my car in the middle space at a public carpark. When I returned, I found that another car was parked so close to my car that I couldn't open my door. This is a classic example of selfish behaviour. The driver of the neighbouring car had given himself too much room to open his door and given me no room to open mine.

After waiting fruitlessly for some time for the other driver to return, I decided to enter my car by the passenger's door and managed, with some difficulty, to get into the driver's seat. The lesson learnt is that we should always park our cars in the middle of the space.

7. USING THE INDICATOR

The seventh bad habit of the Singapore driver is his reluctance to use his indicator.

Very often, I am faced with the choice of joining a lane which is for cars turning right as well as for cars going straight, or a lane for cars going straight only. There is a car at the head of the lane which could go both ways. Since he has not switched on his indicator to make a right turn, I assume that he is going straight. However, when the traffic light turns green, he turns on his indicator to make a right turn.

You feel frustrated as you could have joined the next lane and wish that he had put on his indicator earlier.

My plea to our drivers is to turn on their indicators early if they intend to make a right turn or a left turn. It is an act of courtesy to other drivers.

 

[Wildfaye29]

Digging nose is a habit of a driver

[Lotr]

what's the big deal?

大惊小怪 

少见多怪

见多不怪

Just practice defensive driving

 

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by Lotr

[Atonchia]

8 hours ago, therock said:

Does this describe you?

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/the-seven-habits-of-the-spore-driver

 

Speeding

Overtaking

Beating red lights

Not giving way

Potong jalan 

Poor Parking 

Not using the signal indicator 

 

Really??

Beating red light is a habit?

What kind of nonsense report is this?

Straits Times allow this to be reported?

Majority of drivers have this red light beating habit?

 

I see a downward trend on ST reporting.

[Jamesc]

Complain overtaken on the left - means road hogger.

Accelerate like Lewis when light goes green - not true at all.

All the Hamiltons accelerate only when light changes to yellow.

Not signalling is true - no point saying not true when people here also say so.

😀

[Theoldjaffa]

10 hours ago, therock said:

Does this describe you?

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/the-seven-habits-of-the-spore-driver

 

Speeding

Overtaking

Beating red lights

Not giving way

Potong jalan 

Poor Parking 

Not using the signal indicator 

 

1 & 2 ftw, when it's safe.

Although sometimes I get so dulan at hoggers that I cut in front of them immediately after I overtake them.

I also don't give way to deliberate queue cutters.

I don't use the signal indicator sometimes, especially if there's no vehicles behind me.

 

The rest, never! I don't potong cos I don't want my car to be scratched. I take pride in parking well. I don't beat red lights. Never Kena any demerit points before.

[Benarsenal]

Is this really from Prof Tommy Koh? It just feels very inflammatory and click bait.

I don't agree with most of what he said. Aside from don't give way, everything else he said is too exaggerated, to the point where I don't think a highly respected person like Prof Koh would actually say this.

[mersaylee]

It may technically not wrong but I dislike the use of nationality to describe the drivers in any given country.

How to be sure the errant drivers are indeed holding the red passport?

If I dislike the way drivers drive in London... I’d limit to say drivers in London...won’t say UK drivers yade yade...