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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