It is a known fact that Singapore’s roads were built to enhance convenience, alongside with an important factor called “Safety”. Road etiquettes are a form of unspoken rules, which is essentially important to be practised especially amongst drivers in Singapore. According to Business Insider, there is an increase from 152,700 to 181,000 summons from 2015 to 2018 and 6,900 to 18,500 feedbacks from the public regarding irresponsible driving from 2014 to 2018. Despite being one of the safest countries to drive in, it is undeniable that road ethics were not sufficiently emphasized and performed. Here are a few road etiquettes that we have summed up:
1. Avoid cutting queue
Queues are an inevitable part of Singapore’s culture, and it is undeniable that there is always a small fraction of drivers who have yet to practice patience and graciousness. Commonly, drivers who want to avoid the long waiting time drive up to the front on the other lane and cut the waiting lane queue before the rest. In such cases, drivers at the back would have to space themselves out just for that 1 inconsiderate driver, resulting in at a longer waiting time overall. Apart from being inconsiderate, it poses a danger to other road users due to a possible collision. Waiting in a jam is no doubt frustrating, especially when you have no clue on when will the jam be cleared. However, the question is, is it really worth it to cut queues that extend the waiting time and increases safety risk?
2. Avoid speeding up upon amber light
Regardless of the traffic light signal, speeding is definitely a big no-no for road safety. According to the Singapore Police Force Annual Road Traffic Situation 2017 report, the number of red-light running violations totals up to 45,617 cases. This is an increase of 32.5% from 2016, accounting for an average of 125 cases per day. Apart from putting yourself and other road users at risk, the fines and penalties for running the red light are not trivial. Due to such increasing numbers, the Ministry of Home Affairs has doubled the penalties from $200 to $400 for drivers who fail to conform to the red light signal starting from April 2019. Even though it is usually a split-second decision, it is notable that this decision may bring you hefty consequences to bear.
3. Avoid road hogging
Driving at a slow speed does not make you an extremely safe driver. Living in a fast-paced society, being slower than average may trigger other drivers to overtake or tailgate you, leading to higher safety risk. Along the expressway, the first lane is usually meant for drivers to overtake or for emergency vehicles such as an ambulance. In the situation where the speed limit is 90km/h while you drive at a slower speed of 60km/h, it hogs the lane up which causes more jam on the expressway. This leads to our last point.
4. Drive on the middle lane
Driving on the middle lane makes exiting from expressways easier compared to cutting two or more lanes from the fast lane. In cases where your GPS lags and gives you a sudden notice to exit the expressway within 100m, driving on the middle lane gives you sufficient time to do so without compromising on the recommended speed of your vehicle.
All in all, despite our government’s efforts to make driving more convenient and easy for drivers, it is important to practice these road etiquettes for a pleasant journey for road users. With that, MoneyMax Leasing wishes you a pleasant and safe journey ahead!
