Public wants Taxi drivers to go through defensive driving
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Recent accidents involving taxis have raised concerns over how safety-conscious taxi drivers are.
But cab operators said that they have been going the extra mile to improve safety among their drivers, even though it is not required by the authorities.
On March 19, there was a three-way accident involving three cabs at the junction of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 and Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8. No one was hurt.
Prior to that, a taxi went out of control on the Pan-Island Expressway on Jan 19, resulting in the death of a woman and injuries to three people.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) told My Paper last Thursday that there are no requirements for taxi companies to send their cabbies for extra driving classes, following an accident.
But Singapore's biggest taxi operator, ComfortDelGro, said that it sends cabbies for a defensive-driving course if they are found to be at fault or partially at fault in two accidents within a year.
The full-day course, comprising theory and practical tests, is held at ComfortDelGro Driving Centre.
SMRT's vice-president of corporate communications, Mr Kalai Natarajan, said its taxi drivers are counselled and sent for an internal safe-driving course if they are involved in accidents.
"If there were to be a subsequent accident within the same year, we (will) issue a warning and will require hirers to attend the defensive-driving course conducted by the Singapore Safety Driving Centre, at their cost," he added.
The course consists of a theory lesson on driving safely and an assessment of their driving. Feedback from the assessment will be given to SMRT and the firm will decide whether the cabbies are fit to drive its cabs.
Mr Ang Hin Kee, a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said that taxi companies send their drivers for the extra driving classes because they value road safety and the safety of their customers.
There are also measures to ensure older cabbies are still able to drive safely.
For taxi drivers who want to extend their vocational licences beyond the age of 70, the LTA requires them to take an assessment comprising a medical examination, an occupational-therapist evaluation and an on-road driving test.
But not all taxi operators need their cabbies who have been involved in accidents to go for extra driving lessons.
For instance, Prime Taxi does not have such a practice. Instead, it handles cabbies who get into accidents on a case-by-case basis.
Still, some driving instructors believe taxi drivers are more accident-prone than many other road users.
Private driving instructor Frankie Yue said that taxi drivers "are in more of a rush than most other road users", because they work on a time-based schedule.
"I've noticed certain bad road habits that are more prevalent among taxi drivers, such as running yellow lights and not checking their mirrors while making a turn," he said.
Another private driving instructor, who wanted to be known only as Mr Lim, agreed, adding that "taxi drivers tend to speed more and cut (into) other people's lanes very dangerously".
Nevertheless, Mr Ang, who is also the adviser to the National Taxi Association, said that "everyone plays a part in road safety" and that we "cannot pinpoint it (on) one road user".
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see taxi accident so ask TD go defensive driving...
pls lah,TD got the best denfensive driving leh...1 accident =$2140.
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Rubbish report.... ever seen how those new drivers being trained by private driving instructors drive? Anyhow cut from lane 1 to lane 3, never check blind spot before changing lane, etc.....
Worst of all, some moron drivers drive so slowly on the extreme right lane and they think they bloody own that lane.....
Dun always fault taxi drivers.
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otr everyday see those big suvs or big posh car zoom here n there, dun give way, step on accerlator when see other car or bike signal.... all these how leh.... best go for offensive driving.... defensive ....hard lah....
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All those CB driving instructors say so much, oni wan TD to go take defensive driving course so they can earn $$$..knn...
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repeated thread .