A motorcyclist collided with a taxi who made a discretionary right turn in front of Bukit Panjang Plaza when a double-decker bus was turning in the opposite direction and blocked the view of oncoming traffic, ROADS.sg reported earlier today (10 March).
According to the report and footage of the incident, the cab driver made the discretionary right turn despite not having full view of the opposite side, which led to the motorcyclist – travelling at full speed – slamming into the hood of the taxi at the middle of the cross junction.
The impact of the collision caused the motorcyclist to somersault into the air and land on top of the taxi.
The accident was captured by a dashcam of another car and was later posted on social media.
https://web.facebook.com/SgRoadsaccidentcom/videos/1042305826151932/
Previously on 8 July 2019, Members of Parliament (MPs) have urged authorities to expedite the removal of discretionary right turns at all junctions, indicating that the discretionary right turns are “fundamentally problematic” and have caused many fatal accidents to occur.
The Parliament passed amendments to the Road Traffic Act which enforced heavier penalties for dangerous and careless driving, as well as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
With the new amendments, first-time offenders will be jailed for a year or fined ranging from S$2,000 to S$10,000, and they may also be banned from driving for at least two years. Repeat offenders will be jailed up to two years and fined ranging from S$5,000 and S$20,000, including a ban from driving for five years.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) assured that it would remove discretionary right turns at most traffic junctions by 2023, which means motorists will be required to wait for the arrow to turn green before making a right turn.
Following that, some MPs have urged the LTA to speed up the timeline for the removal of discretionary right turns to prevent more accidents from happening.
Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Joan Pereira also urged to shorten the time of launching the red-amber-green (RAG) arrows, adding that it should be implemented to all junctions.
“I think it is important all junctions should have RAG signaling, and when pedestrians may cross, no vehicles should be permitted to turn,” she noted. “These signals should be consistent to reduce confusion among motorists who now encounter different signaling at different junctions.”
Member of Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Melvin Yong also supported her point and noted that full implementation would “go a long way in making our roads a safer place”.
Meanwhile, on 5 March, senior parliamentary secretary Baey Yam Keng announced at the Ministry of Transport’s Committee of Supply debates that the LTA targets to install more Red-Amber-Green (RAG) arrows at a total of 1,200 traffic junctions by 2023, out of the total 1,600 junctions in the country.
Mr Baey hinted that more than 300 junctions have been installed with RAG arrows since it was first announced in 2018, adding that the LTA will study the feasibility of installing more RAG arrows in the remaining junctions.
