Ferrari driver complained of lack of roads here for high-speed driving

SINGAPORE - Mr Ma Chi, 31, who passed away after his red Ferrari crashed into a taxi while he was speeding to beat the red light, reportedly told an ex-colleague that he had no intention to stay in Singapore long-term as there was no place to drive his supercar at high speeds.

"The Lion City's too small, with no roads for driving at high speed," he told former colleague Zhong Yi in 2009.

According to The Beijing News, friends had mentioned that Mr Ma liked to drive in the middle of the night because there were less cars on the road.

The Straits Times reported that he owns another luxury sports car - an Infiniti, which costs at least 400,000 yuan (S$79,600). He keeps the car in his native province of Sichuan.

According to the English daily, Mr Ma first came to Singapore four years ago with his wife and child in 2008.

Friends said he was a hard-working and righteous person who worked as a financial investor. He was also applying for permanent residency in Singapore.

He died at the scene on May 4 while cabby Cheng Teck Hock and passenger Shigemi Ito died in hospital.

Mr Zhong said he himself had been in a car accident back in 2003, when he had been driving too fast and suffered a concussion from the accident.

He told Beijing News that he regretted not telling Mr Ma about, and sharing lessons learnt from the unfortunate experience.

New crash sparks calls for action on junction

In the wake of yet another collision at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street last Saturday morning, this time involving a Lexus and a taxi, transport bodies and motorists are calling for the authorities to step in to ensure that the junction is safe.

Members of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport whom my paper spoke to yesterday urged the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to look into the matter.

Mr Ang Hin Kee, a committee member and adviser to the National Taxi Association, said: "Following these accidents, the LTA should ensure that there are adequate safety measures in place, and that the road conditions and set-up are safe for all users."

Last Saturday's accident comes two weeks after a Ferrari allegedly beat the red light on the morning of May 12 and crashed into a taxi, resulting in three deaths.

The Lexus in the latest case - the eighth reported at the junction in the past month - also allegedly beat a red light and hit the tail end of the taxi, causing the cab to spin.

The driver of the Lexus, a 30-year-old Singaporean man, was arrested for suspected drink driving and dangerous driving.

Mr Ang also suggested that the authorities should consider getting taxi companies to make taxis safer by installing airbags and conducting routine mainte- nance checks on cabs.

"A safer road for taxis is also a safer road for other motorists, and will be beneficial for all."

On whether taxi drivers needed more training in road safety, he said that was not necessary as there were no mistakes made by the cabbies in both the latest accident and the Ferrari crash, where their driving skills were concerned.

He supported calls for a separate licensing and competency test for drivers of "supercars", as "the capacity and performance (of a supercar) are very different from those of a normal sedan, and drivers may not know how to handle that kind of horse- power".

Fellow committee member Gan Thiam Poh said it was the responsibility of motorists to help prevent accidents and that safety should be a priority.

Mr Gerard Ee, chairman of the Public Transport Council, said that the roads at the junction are wide and, coupled with the lighter traffic conditions in the wee hours, drivers may be more likely to speed.

"The focus of the accidents should not be on the cars, but on the recklessness of the drivers.

Motorists should comply with traffic regulations to prevent accidents from happening," he reiterated.
Other motorists also urged for more to be done.

Undergraduate Marcus Tan, 24, said: "The LTA should identify any blind spots that make the junction prone to accidents, and correct them as soon as possible, before another fatality happens."

A netizen said on citizen-journalism website Stomp yesterday that there appeared to be a surveillance camera with a "perfect vantage point" installed at the junction, and suggested that the authorities use the footage captured to further probe the accidents.

Drink driver arrested for another accident at Ferrari crash site

SINGAPORE - The site of the horrific Ferrari crash two weeks ago was again the scene of another accident early Saturday morning.

A Lexus and a Comfort taxi were involved in a traffic accident at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street, local media reports said.

One of the victims - the male taxi passenger - was sent to the Singapore General Hospital after the accident, which was reported to the police at about 3.15am this morning. He received outpatient treatment.

According to a latest statement by the police, a 30-year-old driver of the Lexus has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving and dangerous driving.

A breathalyser test result showed 42 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the prescribed legal limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres. If convicted, he will be disqualified from driving for at least 12 months.

Those found guilty of drink driving will also lose their driving licences and have to retake the theory and practical driving tests in order to obtain their driving licences again.

In addition, first-time offenders can be fined between $1,000 and $5,000, or jailed up to 6 months.

Repeat offenders may be punished with a maximum fine of $30,000 and a mandatory jail term of up to three years. They may also be caned up to six strokes should death or serious injury be caused.