ONE motorcyclist or pillion rider dies on the road every four days.

[eyke]

ONE motorcyclist or pillion rider dies on the road every four days in Singapore.

 

Many others survive, their lives changed forever. Former navy mechanic Lim Koon Heng, 44, was paralysed after a speeding accident in 1989. His main caregiver is his 73-year-old father.

 

 

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_597182.html

[Felix2665]

Hi I read the article also. What a sad fact!!

I think someone from LTA or some body like driving center should

promote the safety riding. not only campaign but conduct safety riding courses.

 

 

[dragonforce]

shi!t. really scares me to read these kind of news. you only see adverts that show riders riding dangerously, getting into accidents. why not show some like other countries, urging drivers to keep a lookout for us. so many times i have seen drivers swerve out of their lane, without checking at all.

[haoKR]

omg..so scary..

fk!

haix..

 

I think someone from LTA or some body like driving center should

promote the safety riding. not only campaign but conduct safety riding courses

 

no use 1..

still haf taxi drivers cutting lanes wifout giving signal etc etc

[CSV]

its like this over here. drive car, pay more road tax = superior to bike riders.

 

alot of drivers don't realise bikers are much much more vulnerable than them and alot of them condemn bikers.

 

bikers= bad people, robbers, rapist, murderers, gangsters.

 

of course, not saying everyone but the general population do have that mindset.

 

i seriously advocate having car drivers take a ride on a bike during their pratical, just so they know our view point. nowadays driving centers churning out noob drivers easily, i see alot of P platers driving like controlling a boat, fuking scary.

[Felix2665]

no use 1..

still haf taxi drivers cutting lanes wifout giving signal etc etc

 

yah I know but at least defensive riding is better than nothing

 

[video=youtube;-gfNfh9kpgM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gfNfh9kpgM&feature=related

[haoKR]

yah I know but at least defensive riding is better than nothing

 

[video=youtube;-gfNfh9kpgM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gfNfh9kpgM&feature=related

 

oh..

think i will b taking it afer i pop

haha

[mechwira]

the 'one rider dies every four days' has been around for donkey years; certainly the stat was exactly the same nearly 10 years ago when i first got onto a 2b bike.

 

what i find most frustrating is that all this time, the authorities and the road-using population this whole time refuses to acknowledge that FACT that road safety for bikers is the responsibility of ALL, and not just just bikers.

 

its dam bloody easy and convenient to blame high bike fatalities on we bikers ourselves; that we are reckless and that biking is just dangerous in general. have the authorities shared what portion of bike fatalities is the fault of drivers? did you know that in many countries around the world, bike fatality as a result of another reckless driver account for a significant portion of their bike fatalities?

 

nope. its easy and convenient to just say its the bikers' fault. so we have tougher bike tests, new laws such as daytime bikers must use headlight, etc etc. all of which I support. then the other hand that claps leh? any campaign/law/test to make drivers more careful of bikers? dun have. not driver fault mah, only bikers fault.

 

i'm dam bitter about this coz all my years of riding ppl never acknowledge that biker safety is more than just bikers.

[kuwaiyert]

Increase population.. inflation... vehicles all types increase, be it cars, lorries, taxi, bikes, etc.. death toll also increase...

 

if only our population is at 2 million peepz.. i believe there will be more 'space'... be it on MRT or on the road..

 

Anyway OT.. at KL, last weekend a malaysian rider died in a freak accident, body split into 2, believe he was roll over by another vehicle when he fall..

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

its like this over here. drive car, pay more road tax = superior to bike riders.

 

alot of drivers don't realise bikers are much much more vulnerable than them and alot of them condemn bikers.

 

bikers= bad people, robbers, rapist, murderers, gangsters.

 

of course, not saying everyone but the general population do have that mindset.

 

i seriously advocate having car drivers take a ride on a bike during their pratical, just so they know our view point. nowadays driving centers churning out noob drivers easily, i see alot of P platers driving like controlling a boat, fuking scary.

 

Unfortunately we can fight all day over who should be more considerate to who but at the end of the day there would be much hoo-hah and little real effect.

 

Heck, even methods of "safe" riding also can dispute forever, because it's up to the individual to be however "safe" they want. Some people can tell me they lanesplit at 90-100kph all day on the PIE to get to campus - It's not really my concern although I find it "excessively dangerous".

 

But, personal example does make a difference.

 

Safety gear - everyone seems to like the image of a "power ranger" on a sportsbike, perhaps not to the extent of a full race suit (not in SG weather) but some personal protection attracts the right kind of attention, even if it's just a FF helmet involved. If you want to dumb it down to basics, kids love to watch me slowly gear up, mess with the FF helmet's vent settings before slowly riding off.

 

If I'm in T-shirt, jeans, "PSB Approved" open face, no one gives a ****! lol

 

Riding Attitude -

 

Drivers on the road give you plenty of space if you purposely for no reason, keep checking your mirrors, blind spots, look at other vehicles in case they are rushing and want to "cut" you.

 

If I lanesplit to infinity and beyond like my many years of cubbing, again no one gives a **** about my motorcycle. IF I had any accidents during that riding style, I don't think anyone would show me any compassion, even if in Singapore, 99% of us lanesplit during rush hour, with the exception of convoy ops and the few of us on bikes too 'fat' to lanesplit without alarming people. (Custom Phantoms with beach bars, for instance, are comfortable slow-cruising bikes that can't l/s well, and I love em )

 

So that's how these days I learnt to make myself visible and polite to other road users. Sure, sometimes a few jit tao cut you up anyway, but later others will give way to you. Just try and fit in, match the flow lor. Definitely some drivers are not as murderous as they appear.

 

Today a taxi almost forced me out of lane but I saw him coming first, slowed down for him to pass, and suddenly I notice he tried to make it up by GIVING WAY TO MOTORBIKES. I was like wtf, taxi almost on the road shoulder, so some Johore commuters can lanesplit past him safely. Humans do make mistakes, just watch out for them, and let them have a chance Some drivers also never rode a bike before, and don't realise like all motor vehicles, we need some safety distance too.

 

 

While this is an individual example and I do not expect anyone to follow it, it works brilliantly for others and myself on the road. Senior riders on classic bikes usually snuggle up behind me if they like my pace in traffic, J-platers take a break in the small hole I open in the traffic for my bike, and most importantly, it's very rare drivers get in my way. They know if they gave me a few seconds' notice, I can open a gap in front of me to let them pass ahead.

 

All from just checking my mirrors a bit more frequently than normal so I don't get run over - conveys the right 'image' that the motorcycle is a very vulnerable machine on the road. Give way enough times, you get friendly waves every time you ride.

[KeraKing]

ban cars! ..

[DeusExMachina]

the 'one rider dies every four days' has been around for donkey years; certainly the stat was exactly the same nearly 10 years ago when i first got onto a 2b bike.

 

what i find most frustrating is that all this time, the authorities and the road-using population this whole time refuses to acknowledge that FACT that road safety for bikers is the responsibility of ALL, and not just just bikers.

 

its dam bloody easy and convenient to blame high bike fatalities on we bikers ourselves; that we are reckless and that biking is just dangerous in general. have the authorities shared what portion of bike fatalities is the fault of drivers? did you know that in many countries around the world, bike fatality as a result of another reckless driver account for a significant portion of their bike fatalities?

 

nope. its easy and convenient to just say its the bikers' fault. so we have tougher bike tests, new laws such as daytime bikers must use headlight, etc etc. all of which I support. then the other hand that claps leh? any campaign/law/test to make drivers more careful of bikers? dun have. not driver fault mah, only bikers fault.

 

i'm dam bitter about this coz all my years of riding ppl never acknowledge that biker safety is more than just bikers.

 

 

You only need to see the road safety adverts on TV as evidence. In the UK, they target biker safety as the responsibilities of both bikers and drivers. Separate ads.

 

 

In SG, you only see ads portraying bikers as reckless riders. There're no ads telling car drivers to look out for bikers.

 

 

That's how the authorities.... including the bloody TP.... view it.

[wait4me]

read the article...

 

does the writer rides a bike ???

[Constructicon]

read the article...

 

does the writer rides a bike ???

 

It's common knowledge that in Singapore, motorcycle experts typically:

 

1. Do not ride a bike

2. Do not possess Class 2B/ 2A/ 2

3. Likes to gather with similar experts to trade views on motorcycles, mostly negative ones.

4. Cannot differentiate between a CBR and a NSR

5. Thought 1st lane is a no-no for motorcycles.

6. Thinks a saloon car can outrun any bike.

7. Thinks a motorcycle goes 100km on 1mm of petrol.

8. Only knows Harley, scooter, and maybe Dookarti.

9. Thinks smoke from a motorcycle exhaust means its damaged, never mind its a 2 stroke. (They dun know wats that also.)

10. Thinks most bikes cost $2000 max. Sportsbike maybe $4000, never mind its a 1000cc 2010 model.

[Constructicon]

I guess we will never see this kind of adverts in sg:

 

 

After all, to those who dun ride, motorcycle accidents are always our fault. wtf.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Constructicon

[lucius]

Your ten points of truth on those indicated are like god's word constructicon. Amen.

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Lol amen to that.

 

The good thing is that sometimes they mistake custom Phantoms for "Harleys" and offer a bit more respect. At least until they see the tiny little engine block! Hehe.

[kee.]

Ride safe . Drive safe

[mechwira]

wat embarrasses me the most is that even our northern neighbour is more advanced than us in this regard.

 

coz years ago in my early days of biking still on 2b, i saw an advert on TV3, showing a proton tailgating very closely to a cub-chai, and then this caption appeared: "2 out of 3 motorcycle accidents are caused by cars".

[mechwira]

here, let me share a much more useful article. italics and bold are mine. this is a real expert study. i am only reproducing part of it, for the complete summary pls visit http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-Safety/Hurt-study-summary.htm

 

The Hurt study, published in 1981, was a ground-breaking report on the causes and effects of motorcycle accidents. Although more than 15 years old at this time, the study still offers riders insight into the statistics regarding motorcycle accidents and tips on safer riding.

 

With funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researcher Harry Hurt (from which the study gets its common name) of the University of Southern California, investigated almost every aspect of 900 motorcycle accidents in the Los Angeles area. Additionally, Hurt and his staff analyzed 3,600 motorcycle traffic accident reports in the same geographic area.

 

Summary of Findings

 

Throughout the accident and exposure data there are special observations which relate to accident and injury causation and characteristics of the motorcycle accidents studied. These findings are summarized as follows:

 

1.Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most usually a passenger automobile.

 

2.Approximately one-fourth of these motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.

 

3.Vehicle failure accounted for less than 3% of these motorcycle accidents, and most of those were single vehicle accidents where control was lost due to a puncture flat.

 

4.In the single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accident precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slide-out and fall due to over-braking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.

 

5.Roadway defects (pavement ridges, potholes, etc.) were the accident cause in 2% of the accidents; animal involvement was 1% of the accidents.

 

6.In the multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those accidents.

 

7.The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.

 

8. Deliberate hostile action by a motorist against a motorcycle rider is a rare accident cause. The most frequent accident configuration is the motorcycle proceeding straight then the automobile makes a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.

 

9.Intersections are the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicle violating the motorcycle right-of-way, and often violating traffic controls.

 

 

 

29.The driver of the other vehicles involved in collision with the motorcycle are not distinguished from other accident populations except that the ages of 20 to 29, and beyond 65 are overrepresented. Also, these drivers are generally unfamiliar with motorcycles.

 

 

so is there a similar study done locally? of coz not. our country is different, motorcycle fatality is mostly reckless riders fault.

[Felix2665]

read the article...

 

does the writer rides a bike ???

 

 

It's common knowledge that in Singapore, motorcycle experts typically:

 

1. Do not ride a bike

2. Do not possess Class 2B/ 2A/ 2

3. Likes to gather with similar experts to trade views on motorcycles, mostly negative ones.

4. Cannot differentiate between a CBR and a NSR

5. Thought 1st lane is a no-no for motorcycles.

6. Thinks a saloon car can outrun any bike.

7. Thinks a motorcycle goes 100km on 1mm of petrol.

8. Only knows Harley, scooter, and maybe Dookarti.

9. Thinks smoke from a motorcycle exhaust means its damaged, never mind its a 2 stroke. (They dun know wats that also.)

10. Thinks most bikes cost $2000 max. Sportsbike maybe $4000, never mind its a 1000cc 2010 model.

 

Here is his log and opinion. he might have 2b but that's all i guess.

http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2010/10/30/choosing-to-ride-2

 

and Constructicon you made me laugh ≧∇≦muahahahaha

[Wormwood]

I read that article with some dismay. What sort of message is it going to send out to drivers? It's just going to reinforce their opinions that bikers are crazy and dangerous, and that if they die on the roads it's their own fault.

 

Many of my friends complain that it's scary when bikes hide in their blind spots and most claim to have had near misses. They don't seem to realise it's their responsibility to check that their blind spots are clear before changing lanes. Worst of all, they sincerely believe that the onus rests 100% on the bikers to avoid them in such scenarios (like mechwira pointed out earlier).

 

I'm not blaming anyone here. Obviously no driver would willfully get involved in an accident. But it's disturbing that many genuinely don't know that they should be looking out for motorbikes. If it's a simple matter of not knowing, surely something can be done to educate them.

 

When I first got my Class 3 license, I honestly never even turned my mind to looking out for anyone on the roads besides other cars and pedestrians at zebra crossings, not because I thought I was a superior road user or anything like that, but because nobody had ever highlighted the different kinds of hazards I could encounter. When turning at junctions, it never even occurred to me that I should look out for bikes. I would just take quick glances to make sure there were no other CARS in my way.

 

Most drivers consider driving a relatively safe affair and so aren't too meticulous about doing their safety checks. In fact, when I got my Class 3 license, my parents' main concern was that I'd scratch the car.

 

I've a good mind to write in to the Straits Times to highlight some of the points you guys have raised here, not that it will help much.... Any idea whom else we could write in to? Some government authority perhaps?

 

Sorry, I don't mean to kick up a big fuss, heh. But I was seriously disturbed when I saw that article in the papers, especially having experienced first-hand what it's like to be a driver with no knowledge of bikes.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Wormwood

[genyue]

Drive properly and don't kill us.

[Wormwood]

Haha, don't worry, I don't drive at all currently. No car and no plans to get one.

[haoKR]

Haha, don't worry, I don't drive at all currently. No car and no plans to get one.

 

lol.

in future leh?

this type of thing not up to us to decide de,hehe