Hi guys.
I had a discussion with 2 bikers named Kit Sun and Gary about the whole driver-vs-rider issue.
Kit Sun made some valid comments. I quote below:
>Questions that you should ask must be more specific like:-
>Do car drivers give enough space for motorcycles on the road
>Do car drivers intentionally squeeze you out of your lane
>Do car drivers see or notice motorcyclists on the road
>Do you think that we get proper treatment by 4 wheeled road users even though we pay road tax and COE
Gary made the following observations:
>I think Singapore is one exceptional place where there are so many >bikes yet people think of bikers as 2nd class. Here in California >the emphasis seems to be that "bicycles, motorcyclists and >pedestrains have as much right to use the road as you do". The >driver's handbook which you have to read before taking the license >theory test even emphasises that one should
>give motorcyclists extra road space and not follow too closely in >case the rider falls. It also points out the various vulnerabilities >of bikes and why we ride the way we do. Some things to add to >singapore's own theory book, maybe?
Drawing from Kit Sun and Gary's comments and an hour of careful thinking I've made the following observations. It's not enough that there are observations, but sound arguments to back them up as well.
1) Bikers aren't given enough respect on the roads: If you were ask me, I'd say give a biker the kind of road space that you'd accord to a 26-ton crane. Additionally, drivers must realise that bikes, being smaller than cars, would be inclined to go places that cars can't; examples being lane splitting (moving between cars in a traffic jam) and moving to the front of a lineup at a red light. Give these bikers a break! There's no need to cut them off when they're lane splitting, or play chicken (edging forward at the stop line at a red light, squeezing the biker off or wedging him or her between cars).
2) Bikers are regarded as second class road users: This is plain for all of us to see. We've all been tailgated, cut off, chased, horned at, spattered with spit and cigarette butts or sprayed with windshield wiper fluid.
3) Motorcycles are generally regarded as unsafe, but no one's doing anything about that: Let's face the facts, motorcycles are unsafe. Of course they are! You'd regard bikes as being death on two wheels if you were treated like crap on the roads everyday. That's why we have so many weekend riders or bikers who rise early to beat the flow of trash on the highways that we call traffic. Do you find a 'Ride Safe' campaign ad on TV? For that matter, have you even heard of a 'Drive Safe' campaign?
Driving centres are doing little to improve this situation. Knowing that bikers are going to face all sorts on the road, learner courses should be tailored to teach accident avoidance, good road manners and proper machine control. I do acknowledge that this will be a difficult task to achieve; driving centres are already crammed to capacity with leaner riders and tailoring an exhaustive rider course might put the dream or necessity of a motorbike licence out of reach of most.
How about a Singaporean equivalent of the American Motorcycle Safety Foundation then? Surely by now the TP should have realised that us bikers need proper safety education, not the theory that we get in classrooms, but practical stuff that we can relate to our everyday riding.
4) Bikers are stigmatised: We've all heard parents say, 'I'll kill you if you so much as go *near* a motorbike.' If this attitude continues, motorcycles will never be widely accepted as a safe, efficient and economical form of transport. Is there any form of public education to change this attitude? Has there ever been, and will there ever be, a 'Ride To Work' campaign? Our neighbours across the Causeway have wonderful public education programs that teach drivers to be careful of motorcyclists and to give way to them when the situation warrants it.
Additionally, bikers come out of accidents worse off than drivers. They're twice as likely to be blamed for causing the accident. Why come out of any accident being worse off when already our bodies and psyche take the punishment?
Additionally, why are so many bikers penalised for having 'offensive' exhaust and lighting systems when almost 70% of cars I see on the road have their headlamps improperly adjusted, blinding oncoming traffic; 20% of cars have non-legal modifications such as loud exhausts and turbo or super-chargers; and a further 10% of cars have stupid plastic rubbish hanging off the bodywork of their vehicle that they're trying to pass off for a 'spoiler' or a 'fairing'.
They're 'spoilers' all right; they spoil the looks and
maneuverability of the car and ruin the driver's rear view!
5) Drivers are poorly educated: Cars are getting easier to control and have better braking, lighting and engine systems than before.
Cars are also getting heavier, faster and bigger.
Are drivers adapting to the changes? Do they think about driving more
cautiously when behind the wheel of a huge Merc, Beemer or SUV? Do they know how to make use of the brighter turn signals, hazard lights, better brakes and louder horns CONSCIENTIOUSLY AND WHEN REQUIRED?
The metal cage that surrounds a car's occupant and protects him or her from an accident also serves to insulate the occupant from what's going on around him or her. Drivers must learn to be as alert as we bikers are and to be 'road-wise', reacting to changing traffic situations in an appropriate manner.
Being so insulated from the outside world when in a car, drivers NEED TO BE TAUGHT to use their senses and intuition when on the road. Larger blind spots AREN'T an excuse to cut other vehicles off. Try giving the excuse 'Your son/daughter was passing through my blind spot when I decided to cut across his/her lane and kill him/her.'
Bullshit. I've been given that blind spot excuse 4 times by drivers who decided to suddenly and without warning cut across my lane. The defensive riding attitude that I adopted from my first weeks on the road as a motorcyclist saved my life all 4 times.
Perhaps we should strap offending drivers to our pillion seats and take them for a ride during rush hour along the PIE as a form of education...
Remember, it's not about learning how to drive a car; it's about learning how to drive a car PROPERLY AND SAFELY.
6) Better enforcement of the law is needed: Campaigns, statistics and
speeches are fine, but when push comes to shove what's needed to give errant motorists (including bikers) a kick up the proverbial backside is effective law enforcement.
Singaporeans gripe about the fines and penalties that come with living in Singapore. They're put there for a reason: to deter and TO KEEP US SAFE. In the case of DIPS, something doesn't seem to be working. We still see motorists flagrantly flouting road rules and regulations. Road rage is becoming more and more common. THERE'S A ROAD ACCIDENT EVERY DAY AND A NEAR MISS EVERY MOMENT. Not convinced? Just listen to Traffic Watch on the radio in the morning.
What about these excuses?
'It's OK to run that red light at a deserted junction; I still have 24 points left. Besides, no one is coming this way.'
'I don't think that failure to signal a lane change carries any demerits.'
'There aren't any TP around, so let's see how fast I can go at 2 in the morning with four beers and a vodka in my stomach.'
'It doesn't matter if I run that biker off because I want to cut across the whole of the SLE to make that exit; I don't think that carries any penalty.'
'I'm late. It doesn't matter if I ride like I'm possessed as long as I'm not caught.'
I'm willing to take odds 10 to 1 that despite all the penalties that the above actions carry under DIPS, the motorists who thought of those excuses are probably DEAD.
Risking a few demerit points might be risking your LIFE.
Additionally, we still see:
a) Heavy vehicles with bald tyres, bad brakes and sleepy drivers in the centre lanes of expressways, speeding along when they're supposed to be in the leftmost lane, travelling at more sane speeds.
b) Drivers using their handphones.
c) Bikers thinking that the road is a giant pylon slalom.
d) Drivers in their huge SUV's, MPV's, Mercedes' and BMW's thinking they own the road.
If there was proper enforcement, we'd be seeing something being done about this. But really, too little is being done, too late.
7) 'RIGHT OF WAY' isn't always THE RIGHT WAY: Motorists must learn to PREVENT accidents, not PRE-EMPT them. We've all gotten into situations where our right of way is compromised. It seems that some motorists believe that honking their vehicle's horn and flashing their lights repeatedly (all the while speeding towards the offendng motorist who has violated their right of way) will diffuse a potentially fatal traffic situation. There's no need for the dramatics on the road. Drive or ride defensively, keep your eyes open for hazards and drivers/riders who might steal your right-of-way and you'll find your motoring experience has increased tenfold.
NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT POINTS 1 THROUGH 7: We've all got to stand up and take action to ensure that our roads are safe. Just how is a different matter altogether and it's something that I've been thinking about for a long time.
Some of the ideas I've come up with:
1) A Singaporean Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
2) Support for bikers, including public education.
3) More intensive campaigns for safe riding and driving.
4) Better law enforcement.
5) Better rider and driver education.
The next question is how to get someone to listen to us.
Have a safe ride on the roads out there.
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