Baby You Can Drive My Car
February 4th, 2006 -- Posted in people | 1 Comment »And I mean it!
I know it’s a shame that I still have not gotten my driving license at my age, but I’m seriously not into driving, even when I got a car. I must admit it is mainly because I am lazy, but there is also another factor that deters me from driving…
Singaporean drivers’ manners.
Or rather… the lack of.
Of the many countries I’ve been to, Singaporean drivers are still, in my opinion, the most inconsiderate drivers in the world. Not only do most drivers, especially those in luxury coupes and sport cars, love to show off on the roads by reving by smaller and lighter cars, they also like to do so cutting into other people’s lane… without warning!
That was just what happened today on the road. Sunsun and I were just heading home after dinner when a BMW 6-series and a Porshe suddenly turned up cutting into lanes at Bukit Timah Road. Thinking they were in the midst of some high-speed chase in some action movie, the two cars actually looked like they were playing catching in their performance cars in the poorly lit road. One of them actually suddenly cut into our lane between our car and the car behind us, and almost hit us. The other then cut into the lane on our left suddenly and was just inches from hitting us into the Bukit Timah canel, if not for the excellent grip of the Porshe. Sunsun was cursing and swearing in Thai for the next few mintues for scaring her. I can’t say I understand everything she said, but I know she cursed something about the driver driving like a blinded horse.
That wasn’t the only incident that disgusted me. There are even drivers on ordinary cars that displayed road manners that put me to shame being a Singaporean. Drivers on expressways, especially, do not seem to have the courtesy to give way. Many times I have witnessed drivers, despite being given ample signalling for intention to change into their lane to exit the highway, would still rev up and not give way. Some even horn at you for cutting into their lanes, even when the signal lights have been blinking for a good few hundreds metres in their face. Is the signal lights in Singapore just for show? There are even those who do follow the rules and turn on their signal lights to show their intention to turn, but WTF can a 2-second-signal-before-turning do? Hello~
It’s no wonder that even Sunsun, who’s seasoned for the roads in Bangkok, is more stressed driving here in Singapore than back home. She had expressed that drivers in Bangkok, no matter how bad the traffic, are still predictable and will still give way. Drivers here in Singapore only know how to expect others to give way!
So when I get my license (yes yes, when I do and I will… promise), I anticipate that I will too be cursing and swearing more than I do now. And I should also start monitor my blood pressure often…
