Inconsiderate Drivers of the Week: Episode 27

(Photo Credit: ROADS.sg Facebook Page)

In this episode of Inconsiderate Drivers of the Week, we feature motorcyclists encountering reckless drivers resulting in terrible consequences and a truck that almost ran down a cyclist at a traffic junction.

In this weekly feature, we'll be taking a look at drivers who were caught on camera for their inconsiderate and reckless driving. These drivers exhibit poor driving etiquette, and we hope you never emulate their behaviour on the roads.

1) Toyota Driver Changes Lane Without Checking, Sideswipes a Motorcyclist

Before we change lanes on the road, it is especially important that we check for traffic in the next lanes and make sure it is safe before filtering out.

In this video, on the right, we can see a motorcyclist on the second lane, filtering to the third in a safe manner. On the left, we can see a Toyota Harrier on the fourth lane, filtering to the third lane without realising that there was a motorcycle in the way.

The Toyota Harrier then clips the motorcycle, but luckily, the motorcyclist reacted quickly and skilfully. Despite the collision, the motorcyclist manages to maintain control of his motorcycle and manages to separate from the car. Thanks to the motorcyclist’s skill, he manages to stay on his motorcycle and avoid putting anyone else’s life in danger.

2) BMW Jam Brakes on PIE, Audi Swerves and Knocks down a Motorcyclist

When driving at high speeds in heavy traffic, motorists must pay extra attention to their surroundings, as one wrong move can set off a terrible chain of events.

This video shows the Eunos flyover on the PIE, an area known to be prone to accidents. The traffic is heavy but flowing, but for some reason, a BMW car jam brakes on the first lane. The car following behind, a white Audi swerves to the lane on the left to avoid a collision with BMW, but the driver did not check for motorcyclists behind.

A motorcyclist riding between lane one and two was unable to react and brake in time, and crashes into the Audi with considerable force. Luckily, the camera car’s driver, now behind the BMW, reacts in time and brakes hard to avoid a major collision with the BMW.

Whenever possible, cars should not jam brake amid heavy traffic with drivers following each other closely. For drivers in the same situation as the Audi, the safest bet is to stay in their lane and just brake as hard as they can. Swerving into another lane as the Audi driver did is highly discouraged as it could result in a worse situation than a single car nudging the back of another.

3) Car Honks to Alert Crossing Cyclist at Traffic Junction to a Reckless Truck Turning

Despite cyclists and pedestrians having right of way at traffic junctions when the green man is showing, some motorists are still driving through without giving way. But luckily, there are also extremely considerable drivers warning crossing cyclists and pedestrians of such reckless motorists.

This video shows a truck at a traffic junction ready to go through a pedestrian crossing, despite the fact that there was a cyclist crossing. Luckily, the camera car’s driver honks for an extended period of time to warn the cyclist of the truck.

The video has no audio, but we can see after the video told us about the honking, the cyclist notices the truck and stops. The truck drives through, but thanks to the actions of the camera car’s driver, no one was injured due to the recklessness of the truck driver.

4) BMW Driver Cuts Across Two Lanes to Turn Left into a Side Road

There is a good reason why we can only turn from turning lanes, safety. If we were able to turn from any lane we wanted, our roads would be chaotic mess filled with people turning left with the right-most lanes.

This video shows a black BMW 7-Series driver turning into a side road from the main road. The catch? The driver did it from the second lane on a road with four lanes. The camera car on the third lane had to jam brake to avoid crashing into the BMW. Due to the wide turn, a cyclist had to move off the road and up to the pavement to allow the BMW to enter the side road.

On top of that, some investigation revealed that the BMW driver allegedly did not renew his or her road tax on the car, which is an offence.

5) Honda Driver Goes on the Wrong Side of the Road

Taking for granted road sign and markings and not paying attention to them while driving can lead to bad consequences, as we can see here with this driver.

In this video, we can see a Honda Civic driver that somehow managed to end up on the wrong side of the road. As a result, the Honda driver holds up traffic as he or she tries to turn into a turnoff. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded as the driver had to make a three-point turn to go into the turnoff.

Luckily, the driver realised their mistake early without causing any accidents and tried to correct their mistake before things went from bad to worse.

The purpose of this compilation isn’t to shame or expose these drivers, but to learn from their mistakes. In all honesty, the driving culture in Singapore leaves a lot to be desired. We lack basic road courtesy and we don’t mind causing inconveniences to other road users if it benefits us. We sometimes even put their lives at risks with our careless and nonchalant driving.

To improve our driving culture, we need to look ourselves in the mirror and learn to share our roads. Instead of treating fellow motorists as competition, we need to remember that every other road user is just like us—all they want is to reach their destination safely and on time.

Read more: Inconsiderate Drivers of the Week: Episode 26

Download the new Motorist app now. Designed by drivers for drivers, this all-in-one app lets you receive the latest traffic updates, gives you access to live traffic cameras, and helps you manage LTA and vehicle matters.