by Christine Lee
I would like to provide reference to the recent Tanjong Pagar car crash on 13 Feb 2021 to bring attention to the rising trends in bad behaviour of motorists on the road.
Nobody is talking about how the lockdown and restrictions caused by COVID-19 have led more people to take to the roads to let out their frustrations. This can be seen in the form of road rage and menacing behaviours.
As not all incidents result in serious accidents, police reports, or injuries, a large portion of these bad behaviours remain unaccounted for in statistical terms.
Nevertheless, the actions of a handful of motorists is a potential threat to society, and can anytime turn deadly.
The contributing factors involved I believe are as follows:
- The lack of night entertainment venues (with limited late night hours)
- Mental state of mind – anger or depression
- More vehicles on the road (partly due to the rise in delivery services)
Even from my own personal experience, I have encountered countless times where motorists are speeding on the roads in the wee hours of the morning or causing a ruckus at car parks in the otherwise peaceful neighborhoods.
More evidence of such erratic and irresponsible behaviour on the roads in Singapore can be found on YouTube channels like SG Road Vigilante.
I really hope some investigative work can be done to bring awareness to this problem, and uncover the driving factors that are influencing these trends.
As more people become aware of the underlying causes, solutions can be created and implemented to solve these preventable incidents.