Driving

Today, I drove to the West and back to the East through heavy rain, and along the way, I saw accidents, and reckless and inconsiderate driving behaviour. Honestly, I don’t think speeding in general is the main cause of traffic accidents. The main cause of accidents should be attributed to two causes: 1) inexperienced driving, and 2) inconsiderate and reckless driving behaviour.

Inexperienced Driving

Although I can say that it is not easy to pass the practical driving test in Singapore, I sincerely believe that the difficultly is misplaced or mis-emphasised. To pass the practical test, a candidate must not accumulate more than 18 “penalty” points, and these points are awarded based on the severity of the mistake committed, ranging from 2 to 4 points, and a special category of instant failure. There is a very great emphasis on performing routine checks and observations within the vehicle for safety, i.e., moving your head when looking at the rear-view mirror, followed by the side-mirror, and then turning your head 90º to check your blind-spot. This is entirely unnatural and drivers will avoid doing it when they actually pass their driving tests.

What needs to be tested is not the action but the reaction to the observation of danger. How will you react when faced with a contingency situation? Is safety a primary motivation for your reaction, or just reacting without consideration?

For example, when faced with a vehicle breaking ahead, some drivers switch lanes without checking for traffic in the adjacent lane, while others have to jam brake and subsequently increase the safety distance. While both reactions are non-ideal, the latter reaction will result in less accidents as the third party involved (the car behind) would have greater reaction time than in the former case (3rd party: driver in adjacent lane).

The practical driving test in Singapore should be split into 2 practical tests. The first, being the vehicle technical handling test, while the second, taken approximately 1 year after passing the first, is an experience and competence test. Passing the first test gives candidates a “provisional” license that will expire 2 years after passing the first test. Provisional licence holders will require the “p-plate” to be displayed at all times and will only have 12 merit points available for deduction.

To convert the provisional license to a full license, provisional drivers will be required to pass the second test before the expiry of the provisional license but not earlier than 1 year from passing date. Should they not be able to pass the second test before the expiry of the provisional license, an extension of 1 year should be granted upon proof of a future booking for the test.

In the second test, the technical capabilities of the candidates are a prerequisite and assumed. Thus, the test can focus more on interactions between other road users in areas once inaccessible in the previous test, such as expressways and other crowded areas.

This way, competence and experience of drivers who actually have a full license will be ensured. People who “just happened to pass” will be forced to drive with a “p-plate” until they can past the second test, for the safety of everyone else.

Inconsiderate and Reckless Driving

It was pouring heavily and it was dark. Yet, there still are drivers that weave in and out of traffic, without their headlights and without signalling.

Exasperating! Exterior lights on a vehicle are for increasing visibility to other road users, not as christmas tree decorations. The significant increase in safety from turning on exterior lights greatly trumps the marginal increase in fuel consumption. For everyone’s safety, please, if the lighting conditions are poorer than a regular fine day, just turn on exterior lights. It’ll be easier to spot you from my side mirrors.

As for signalling, I understand that you may not want to signal when changing lanes on an empty road, but it’s no excuse when cars are tightly packed. That little flick of 3 fingers to signal while changing lanes can actually reduce accidents and save lives.

So, it’s no surprise that whenever it rains any tiny or heavy bit, there will bound to be accidents along our expressways. Until driving habits and graciousness can be improved, we can expect more accidents ahead, whenever road conditions deteriorate a single bit.

Contrary to what many people say about learning how to park in Driving Schools with poles, I believe it is quite useful in grasping the principles and concepts of how to park a car. Having learnt the basics of using poles which act as imaginary lines from the ground where you can see through the passenger windows, you can then apply and imagine lines from various objects that demarcate the outline of the car parking lot.

For vertical parking, no explanation is required. The headlights / pillars can represent outer poles of the training lot. The techniques used in parking is still the same. It works for any type of car, big or small, and any type of lot, as long as it can fit the car reasonably.

Parallel parking, on the other hand, is even easier. Just take the headlights and taillights of the vehicles between the lot as poles and apply the same technique. It will definitely work, as long as you remember the principles to the techniques.

I was glad that my private instructor gave me time to learn parking via the first principles. He gave me the broad concept of where to look at what and left the finer details of correcting mistakes to myself to pick up. He didn’t tell me how to fix bad parking due to turning mistakes — he let me figure out myself.

It all turned out very useful when I was looking for a parking space around SingTel ComCentre to get my mother’s iPhone repaired. The building’s carpark was full and there fortunately was an empty parallel parking lot in front. The last time I parked in a parallel parking lot was in my instructor’s car, taking my practical test. The car was different then, the lot was more spacious, and the situation was less stressful. Naturally in a single-lane, bi-directional road, cars from both directions will pile up when anyone attempts to parallel park along one of the lots. When car piles, the stress naturally increases.

No way I’m going to let them agree with what the probationary plate meant — n00b driver.

I followed the first principles from what I’d learnt 5 months ago and it worked flawlessly.

My mother was impressed. So was I. It was my first try outside the driving circuit after all and I didn’t cause an embarrassing road-block.

From the passengers’ point of view, driving has always been safe and easy, up until I have become a driver myself. Most of the time, passengers have no access to the minds of the driver while he is driving.

Over the past month, I have had thoughts such as, “that was close!”, and “a little more and I’ll crash”. Driving is, in my opinion, rather dangerous if the driver was distracted. Personally, I believe that as drivers, we go though many close shaves from accidents. The fact that an accident happens is because both parties reacted too slow or is not responsible enough in avoiding a crash. Oh course, there will be drivers who pass the burden of safety to other drivers by driving recklessly and carelessly.

I’ll always be on a look out for dangerous drivers and stay far away from them. They are an accident waiting to happen.

To be really frank, I still have some degree of fears when attempting to drive on my own. I’m just not used to driving alone, without someone beside me, acting as the ‘last-resort’ lookout for traffic which I may have inadvertently missed.

With my limited driving hours and experience, I find that the PIE is the hardest expressway to handle as it is very bendy and filled with much traffic in the mornings. Driving along this expressway from end to end during rush hours is quite a challenge as the traffic is extremely heavy, flooded with heavy trucks and lorries from lanes 2 to 4, near Pioneer area. Squeezing in between them and changing lanes is a sure way to increase ones speed/distance judgment.

Fortunately, in a week and two days time, my course in the Far West would end and I’ll be back to work at the Far North. By the time I check my work mail, it would have been 5 weeks since I’d last touched it. I’m guessing that my mailbox would have been full by now.

This has to be one of the most exciting test I’ve ever encountered in my life. It was short beyond measure, commonly indicative of a failure, fraught with fright, and God must have simply intervened.

Basically, I’ve just completed the circuit with no issues and am on the public road. At this T-junction without traffic lights, I was to turn right into a smaller road. The coast, with slight visual obstruction (due to cars turning to their right in-front of me), was clear. I looked right to check for pedestrians, while preparing to move off. The car was about to inch forward when I looked forward and saw a lorry dashing towards the junction.

“Oooh,” I exclaimed, while I instinctively stomped on the brakes hard. From the corner of my eye, I saw the examiner’s hand moved towards the handbrake column – I was faster. He made no remark, neither did I.

I completed the turn and he told me to turn right, and then back into the driving centre, which is on the left. This was immediately disappointing as I’ve only just completed 3 right turns on the road without any U-turns. Most routes have at least a U-turn, I recalled. It must have been over, I thought to myself.

He motioned for me to park at the shade in-front of the centre; I was the second car to arrive. The first being called for the test a full 5 minutes before me. I was after all, one of the last few to start the test. It was certainly a foreboding sight.

Silently, we moved to the desk and I sat there awaiting my results. I had expected the worst. I mean, what more can go wrong? Ending the test way earlier than others, dead silence, and one huge mistake which I’m almost sure was an immediate failure.

He came with a slip of paper in his hands, the revelation on the price which I was to pay – S$200 (re-test) or S$50 (driving license application fee).

His words were sharp, “check your mirrors more.”

He moved the paper towards me. I strained to read the tiny words and what they had all meant. He pulled back and flipped over.

“You’ve passed... congratulations and please proceed to watch the safety video”.

With that, I mumbled many thank yous and promptly left the room. Was I dreaming? I dropped my mother a quick phone call, and realised that she couldn’t read my mind (and thus it isn’t a dream). I scanned the mistakes list and didn’t see what I thought I’ll see.

Praise the Lord!

I don’t believe that it is just me, but driving is an extremely mentally exhausting activity, especially along urban town areas where pedestrians and cars are of a plenty. It’s worse when your vehicle employs manual transmission. I have to admit, before I had started driving myself, I always thought that driving a vehicle is simple, not just in looks.

Add in the inching traffic and gentle up-slopes, your legs would be as tired as though you’ve walked up the slope yourself. The amusing ‘proper’ method when starting a vehicle on a slope is to apply the handbrake and maintain half-clutch position. Release the handbrake and your car inches forward (gracefully). The hard part is to repeat this procedure 3 to five times and on the last time, your other free hand is busy turning the steering wheel right and you’re just looking out for incoming vehicles and stray pedestrians.

I have to admit, although it’s tiring, it’s pretty fun.

A 2 hour long driving session at night after a long day at work is enough to knock me out the moment I’ve reached home.

On the first day of this new year, I finally overcame my procrastination and went for my first driving practical lesson. It was quite an interesting first lesson and taught me many new advances that put the theory handbooks used for theory tests fairly outdated. Modern manual vehicles no longer require the accelerator to be slightly depressed. Another amusing thing is that the vehicle that I’m learning in doesn’t stall easily. Even at 1000 rpm (with a 1-3 km/h coast) without the accelerator, brake, and the clutch being depressed, the engine doesn’t stall.

Generally the hardest part in getting a driving license is not the driving, but the practical test.

So basically, in a practical driving lesson, the instructor teaches you the skills that you need to pass the practical exam, not just to be able to drive safely. Those skills to pass the exam generally consists of elaborate and sequential steps in doing basic things, such as adjusting seat positions and mirrors, starting or restarting the stalled engine; exaggerated head movements to check blind spots, and gluing your hands to the steering wheel. More importantly, you are not to demonstrate aggressiveness while driving, and to exhibit your highest standard of courtesy to other more nifty (read: nasty) road users.

In all, it’s quite a fun and great experience.