Police to road users: Help keep riders safe

[contrarian]

Police to road users: Help keep riders safe

June 14, 2007

 

Riders responsible for own safety but drivers must help by keeping lookout

 

By Teh Joo Lin & Elena Chong

 

 

TWO drivers yesterday were each fined and banned for causing the death of motorcyclists through negligent driving, prompting the Traffic Police to urge all road users to be more vigilant.

 

Motorcyclists, along with pedestrians and cyclists, are especially 'vulnerable' and drivers of cars and other vehicles should keep a special lookout to help keep them safe, the Traffic Police said yesterday.

 

Ng Chin Keong, 42, was fined $5,000 yesterday for his part in an accident which killed 47-year-old motorcyclist Madam Asnah Kadir at the junction of Gambas Avenue and Woodlands Avenue 12 on May 5 last year.

 

The section head of a company which develops survey equipment will not be allowed to drive for the next three years.

 

Receiving a similar driving ban - and a $6,000 fine - was private bus driver Teo Seng Chee, 48, for an accident in which his bus collided with a motorcycle on Aug 20 last year.

 

The rider, Mr Teo Kok Chye, died on the spot at the junction of Gul Road and Pioneer Sector Walk.

 

Both Ng's and Teo's vehicles were making right turns at junctions when the accidents happened.

 

Contacted by The Straits Times, the Traffic Police reminded motorists to watch out for two-wheelers.

 

While self-skidding accidents accounted for about 36 per cent of the motorcycle accidents last year, the safety of riders is not solely their own responsibility.

 

The behaviour of other motorists plays a big part in preventing riders' lives from being snuffed out. While motorcyclists should 'recognise their own vulnerability' and be careful on the roads 'at all times', other road users must help, too.

 

'Motorists should keep a special lookout for and give way to these vulnerable groups of road users, even though they may have the right of way under certain circumstances,' a spokesman said.

 

The vulnerability is reflected in road fatality statistics: More than half of the 190 who died in traffic accidents last year were riders or those riding pillion.

 

Mr Tay Lip Sing, a founding member of the Singapore Motorcycle Safety Association, pointed to this when he told The Sunday Times in a June 10 report: 'Because we're very vulnerable, we not only end up paying for our own mistakes but for the mistakes of others as well.'

 

In court yesterday, Teo's lawyer Kertar Singh told the Subordinate Courts that his client, who has been a driver for 16 years, is still agonising over the accident.

 

'The fact that a human life has been lost, and that he had a part to play in that loss, still haunts him after all these months,' he said.

Teo, who now works as a factory operator, was on his way to pick up some foreign workers on the day of the accident. As he was making a right turn, the motorcycle collided with the bus.

He hit the brakes and got off the bus, only to see the 52-year-old rider beneath the vehicle. The rider died on the spot from severe head and body injuries.

 

 

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Safety tips for m-cyclists

 

FOLLOWING a few dos and don'ts can help motorcyclists avoid becoming a road crash statistic.

 

DOS

Wear an approved helmet that is a good fit. Look out for a 'PSB Test' label affixed to its back, which means it has been tested to be of a certain quality. Keep the chin straps secured.

Wear proper riding gear, such as gloves, boots and long-sleeved jackets. Clothing should be bright and reflective.

Ride in the centre of your lane so you can be seen clearly and are less likely to be 'forced out' of the lane.

Where road conditions do not allow tyres a good grip, such as when the surface is wet, ride slowly and carefully.

Avoid sudden changes in speed and course, especially when carrying a pillion rider.

Switch on the headlight, even during the day.

Check that the motorcycle is in good mechanical condition before each journey.

 

 

DON'TS

 

Weave through traffic, ride between lanes or alongside other vehicles.

Stay in the 'blind spots' of other vehicles.

Use a safety helmet that has taken a hard knock or is damaged.

Show off by speeding, riding dangerously or competing with others.

[roseonfire]

thanks for d info.. and pls.. stop speeding at neighbourhoods.. wher r ther r so many traffic lights & pedestrians.. no point showing off ur tricks ard residential area.. one thing.. its noisy n irritating.. and its dangerous for d rider n those around.

[mi5trooper]

i ride very safely nowadays. i try to stay in the lane all the time. i follow the jam and not cut thru them. usually it is xxx that try to push me "down" went cuting into MY lane. that i feel so dangerly unsafe in my shoe. sigh...

[mi5trooper]

i learn that police is forever looking out for cautious driver and rider that practice good road using tactic. hear these driver and rider will be award xxx for their good practice. i wonder when will i get to be praised on.

 

xxx = i don't know what.

[Constipated Face]

At last, the police have addressed this issue.