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'Fire' in CTE tunnel on Sunday morning

SINGAPORE - A chain collision between three vehicles travelling in the Central Expressway (CTE) tunnel during the evening peak hours led to a spill of toxic chemicals, a car being engulfed in flames, as well as mass casualties arising from the chain collision.

This was the scenario of the joint emergency exercise conducted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in the CTE tunnel early on Sunday morning.

About 200 LTA and SCDF officers took part in the exercise which tested inter-agency readiness in managing a fire situation in the CTE tunnel.

LTA and SCDF carry out joint exercises in road tunnels at least once every year. The last CTE tunnel exercise was conducted in June 2009.

If a fire occurs within the road tunnels, emergency services such as the SCDF, Police, LTA Traffic Marshals and EMAS crew will be activated to manage the fire, assist motorists to evacuate, as well as to implement the tunnel closure and traffic diversion.

The operators at the LTA Operations Control Centre (OCC) will activate the ventilation system to push the smoke downstream out of the tunnel and raise the tunnel lighting level to maximum brightness.

They will also broadcast tunnel closure messages advising motorists to avoid the area through various channels such as radio break-in, LTA traffic news, Twitter and on EMAS signs.

Should motorists encounter a fire or other emergencies while travelling in the tunnel, they can dial 995 for SCDF’s assistance.

They can also tune in to the local radio channels to listen to the LTA emergency announcements and instructions.

 They should stop their vehicles if red crosses are lit on the overhead lane use signs, stay calm, turn off their vehicle engines and leave their vehicle for the nearest escape staircase or cross passage doors to evacuate the tunnel.

Two new highs in latest COE results

COE for cars in Category A, up to 1,600cc, ended at $77,291, slightly above the previous record of $77,201, from two weeks ago.

Prices for Commercial vehicles in Category C also reached new high of $60,235, up from $59,111 in the last bidding exercises.

Premiums for cars in Category B, above 1,600cc, closed at $93,004, up from $92,400 two weeks ago while the Open Category which can be used to register any vehicle but is usually used for big cars, ended at $93,990.

This is up from $92,100.

Motorcycles were the only vehicles that saw a decrease, finished $1,689, down from $1,959 previously.

Nov 2012 - First bidding
Category	Nov 21 prices	Nov 7 prices
Cars (1,600CC below)	$77,291	$77,201
Cars (above 1,600CC)	$93,004	$92,400
Commercial vehicles	$60,235	$59,111
Motorcycles	$1,689	$1,959
Open category	$93,990	$92,100

Poly student dies in accident that almost severes leg

SINGAPORE - He left the shop to deliver what would have been his last pizza order for the night. But Mr Muhammad Amirulhayat Mahadi never got to deliver it.

The 21-year-old student was killed after the Domino's Pizza motorcycle he was riding was hit by a white Mazda RX8 sports car at the intersection of Sembawang Road and Yishun Avenue 5 on Thursday night.

The red motorcycle was completely wrecked, lying crushed below the car, while Mr Amirulhayat's body lay about 10m away.

The storage compartment containing the pizzas was knocked loose and landed on a pedestrian walkway. Blood was splattered over the twisted front of the car and its front windscreen was cracked.
The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received calls about the accident at about 9.30pm.

Dead at the scene 

When paramedics arrived, they pronounced Mr Amirulhayat dead at the scene.

About an hour later, his family and friends arrived at the scene after being informed of the tragedy.

Overwhelmed with grief on seeing his younger brother's lifeless body, Mr Mahadir Mahadi, 24, kicked the debris from the accident and shouted: "Who is the driver?"

Two police officers and two passers-by rushed forward to restrain him while asking him to control himself.

He struggled in their grasp, demanding that he be allowed to see the Mazda driver, until his friend came forward to console him.

Mr Amirulhayat was a third-year student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, taking a diploma course in multimedia and animation.

He had taken a part-time job as a delivery rider for Domino's Pizza to earn extra money.

His father, Mr Mahadi Timan, 52, who went to the scene that night, told The New Paper that his son was about to make a legal U-turn in the other direction of Sembawang Road to make his delivery.

It was then that the Mazda collided into the motorbike, causing Mr Amirulhayat to be flung about 10m, he said.

An uncle, Mr Khairudin Timan, told TNP that he was in disbelief when he got to the scene at almost midnight.

"His body was still lying on the road when I got there, and I could see his injuries even though it was quite dark. It was really sad for all of us who were there," he said.

Emotions ran high among his family and friends, with many crying when they saw his body.

Mr Mahadi said that his son's leg was almost severed. He said: "The impact had to be very strong because his leg was very badly injured and his body was flung quite a distance from the bike.

"Plus, the damage of the bike and car was terrible... The car's airbags had inflated as well."

Mr Mahadi said they had to be very careful and delicate in preparing his son's body for the funeral as they did not want to cause more damage to the leg.

The police arrested the Mazda driver for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.

The driver, who is in his 30s, told Chinese newspaper Lianhe Wanbao that when the accident happened, the traffic light at the intersection was green in his favour.

"When I passed the traffic light, there was a sudden flash of light in front of me. I then heard a loud crash and immediately stopped the car," he said.

He said that it was only then that he realised that his windscreen had cracked and that his car's airbags had been activated.

When he got out of the car, he was shocked to see a body covered with blood lying nearby. If convicted of causing death by reckless or dangerous driving, he could face jail for up to five years.
Police investigations are ongoing.

Car carrying NTU students crashes into canal after collision

SINGAPORE - A car carrying three male students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) had crashed into the canal at the junction of Nanyang Crescent and Nanyang Avenue after a collision with another car yesterday.

The accident took place shortly after noon, during which heavy rains swept through most of Singapore.

After crashing through some railings into the canal, the car was then dragged by strong currents for more than 50m.

A NTU spokesperson told citizen journalism website Stomp that two students were unhurt while the third had slight injuries.

Investigations are ongoing.

Car crash sends baby flying across road divider

SINGAPORE - The impact from the crash was so great that it cracked the car's windscreen.

It also sent the baby flying across the road divider, landing almost 3m away on the other side of the road.

Miraculously, the little girl survived, with only minor injuries.

The maid who was carrying her also lived. But she had to be hospitalised for what is believed to be injuries to her head and spine.

The accident happened at about 4.30pm yesterday.

The car, a silver Mercedes-Benz, hit the maid as she was crossing the road at Hillview Avenue, at Bukit Batok.

The maid had been crossing from a bus stop to the divider in the middle of the road. It is believed she was heading towards the condominium less than 10m away.

Both the maid and the baby were flung into the air by the impact. They landed a distance from each other on the road.

Crying

Witness said the baby was left crying.

A small pool of blood could still be seen on the road when The New Paper visited the scene an hour later.

The car driver, a man in his 30s, said that the maid was carrying the baby while talking on the phone as she was crossing the road.

"She dashed across the road suddenly," said the man, who works in the food and beverage line and wanted to be known only as Mr Chua.

"There were few cars on the road at that time."

Mr Chua added that he had slammed on the brakes, but could not stop in time.

He added that the woman and the baby were conscious after the accident.

"The child was okay.The woman was bleeding slightly," he said.

The impact of the collision left his car with a cracked windshield and a dent on his car's bonnet.

A resident of a nearby condominium called the TNP hotline about the accident.

The woman, who wanted to be known only as Esther, said she was in her apartment when she heard a loud bang.

"I thought it was two cars colliding, but then I looked out the window and saw a woman and a baby lying on the road," she said.

The baby and the woman were some distance apart.

"I saw some residents of the condo and some drivers who stopped their cars to help," said Esther.

"But no one dared to lift the baby or move her."

Security guards from a nearby condominium said the baby was crying, and the maid was conscious but unable to get up on her own.

An ambulance arrived soon after.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said the SCDF received a call at 4.47pm about an accident at 95 Hillview Avenue,The Petals.

Both casualties were taken by ambulance to the National University Hospital (NUH).

The baby has been discharged while the maid remains hospitalised.

SCDF said that a woman in her 30s, believed to be the maid, had suffered injuries to her head and was suspected to have spinal injuries.

At the hospital yesterday, her employers were overheard saying that there were no fractures.

They looked worried, but also relieved that the baby had sustained no major injuries.

She was surrounded by relatives at the Accident and Emergency department at NUH.

They had rushed down to the hospital from work on receiving a call about the accident.

The baby's mother had declined to comment, but said: "The most important thing to us right now is that they're all right."

She was also overheard saying that she had not met the driver, but that he should have gone to the hospital to apologise.

But Mr Chua had been at the scene of the accident at that time with a police officer.

'I grabbed hold of the wheel for dear life'

He was driving on the expressway when a car on the opposite side of the road suddenly crashed into the central divider and flipped in the air.

Then, a broken-off concrete block about the size of a brick flew towards his vehicle. He heard a thud and his car spun out of control and flipped on its left.

"I didn't realise I was going off the road. It seemed to happen in slow motion," said Mr Jayanath Perera, 52.

"I grabbed hold of the wheel for dear life." When his car flipped and landed on its side, it trapped him inside.

The accident happened on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE)on Sunday.

Mr Perera said he had been driving from his Bukit Batok home to church, in Bugis, at about 12.45pm.

He was travelling on the right-most lane on the PIE when a white Mitsubishi car travelling on the opposite side of the road crashed.

Mr Perera, a technical writer, said that when his Hyundai Matrix came to a stop, he found himself without a scratch on his body, although his right wrist was sprained.

"My first thought was: ' My car is gone!' Next I thought: 'How do I get out of the car?'"

He switched off the engine and rolled down a window to get air.

Traffic was light at the time and cars behind him were not affected, Mr Perera said.

"I stayed still, hoping someone would help. It was strange, at the moment I could think quite clearly. I knew I was okay, but I thought I shouldn't do anything stupid."

Thumbs up

Then one person stopped by to ask if he was fine. Mr Perera gave a thumbs up sign.

Four more men rushed to him, drivers and motorcyclists alike. Among them was PR consultant Richard Koong, 62, who arrived in his Mitsubishi Colt Plus.

They tried to open the doors of his Hyundai, but the doors were jammed.

So they lined up alongside Mr Perera's car and tried to right it as he braced himself for the jerk.

"We tried twice or thrice: One, two three, push. The car shook a bit, but it was too heavy for us," said Mr Koong, who had been travelling on the second lane from the right.

He remembered Mr Perera overtaking him just before the accident.

He had also caught a video of both accidents: The white Mitsubishi mounting the railings before falling back, and the bronze Hyundai veering to its right before flipping over.

Faced with the stuck doors of Mr Perera's car, somebody suggested breaking the windshield.

Then another person opened the rear hatch of the car.

Mr Perera unbuckled himself, half-stood up and crawled through the back of his car to freedom.

Yesterday, Mr Perera said he was impressed with the car design, as he was comfortably seated and strapped back - "as if it was normal to be on my side".

The possibility of the car catching fire crossed his mind, but he didn't smell anything burning. The accident dented the seven-year-old car on all sides, but inside, it was safe, he said.

Mr Koong said he was shocked when he saw Mr Perera's car flip.

He parked his car on the left side of the expressway and went back to help.

"I thought it could be serious. He could have been hurt. I immediately wondered if there was petrol, but there was no petrol on the ground."

Mr Perera said another driver parked his car behind his own, so nobody would hit his car.

Some people even passed him their mobile phone numbers, volunteering to be witnesses as he waited for the police and ambulance by the side of the road.

One man waited at least half an hour until Mr Perera's family - his wife and two sons in National Service - got there, after which he was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

A woman also got out of her car to tell him she had called the police before driving off.

Mr Perera said he called those who helped him on Sunday night to thank them.

"They went out of their way to stay with me, they made sure I was okay.

"I'm very appreciative of them; very appreciative that I've no injuries. Cars can be replaced, but the most important thing is I'm unhurt," he said.

The police said yesterday that the driver of the white car was not taken to hospital. He is assisting with investigations.

Why AXA withdrawing coverage for Ferrari crash

He had been speeding in a part of town which was built-up, and where traffic was to be expected at all hours. He also failed to stop at the traffic lights, which had been red for a "significant" period of time.

These are some of the reasons why the vehicle insurer of Ferrari driver Ma Chi, 31, is withdrawing its coverage for the crash in May, which left three dead.

The reasons were outlined in a defence and counter-claim filed in the High Court on Monday by lawyers acting for AXA Insurance Singapore.

The document said: "Ma Chi was doing an act which he knew or ought to have known was courting imminent danger to himself and others."

The crash, it added, was "highly probably, foreseeable and to be expected".

In the counter-claim, the insurer's lawyers said that the incident was due to a "collision", not an accident.

In the insurance industry, this means that the driver was aware that his actions would cause an accident, thereby voiding the insurer's liability to make a payout.

It also stated that amounts from claims made for those injured or killed in the crash should come from Mr Ma's estate.

On May 12, Mr Ma allegedly beat a red light and crashed into a ComfortDelGro taxi, which then hit a motorcycle at the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street.

Mr Ma, a financial investor from Sichuan, died at the scene while cabby Cheng Teck Hock, 52, died in hospital along with his Japanese passenger, Ms Shigemi Ito, 41. Both the motorcyclist and a female passenger in the Ferrari were injured.

According to a Health Sciences Authority toxicology report dated June 5, Mr Ma had not consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel.

AXA first informed Mr Ma's family of its decision to repudiate its liability in July. Last month, the family - through its lawyer, Mr Wendell Wong- filed a suit asking the High Court to rule that the crash was indeed an accident.

Bad drivers 'fess up

Are we adopting more bad driving habits?

Motorists here seem to think so.

AXA Insurance Singapore polled more than 600 drivers and motorcyclists last year in its annual Road Safety Survey.

The result showed that 41 per cent admitted to tailgating.

The same number also owned up to having answered the phone without a hands-free kit or text messaging while driving.

When asked why they tailgate, half of the drivers blamed the vehicle in front for "driving too slowly", while the rest gave excuses such as they were rushing or trying to overtake the vehicles in front.

The issue of driving habits came up after Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam posted on his Facebook page on Aug 20 his encounters with three reckless drivers in a day when his wife was driving the car.

In one instance, someone sped up to prevent his wife from switching lanes and in the other two instances, drivers did not signal when changing lanes.

Several netizens agreed with his observation.

From the AXA survey, it appears that we're an impatient lot on the roads.

And a lot of it may have to do with poor time management and a lack of route planning, AXA said.

But while they are bad habits, are our roads also more dangerous now?

Mr Chua Kim Soon, principal officer and chief executive officer of AXA Insurance Singapore, said in a media release on the survey results: "Close analysis of the data shows us a worrying trend of reckless drivers who commit dangerous behaviours such as tailgating, speeding and failing to signal - all of which can lead to accidents involving serious injuries.

More bodily injuries 

"With a notable increase over the past year in the number of bodily injury claims AXA has experienced, this is an area we are understandably concerned about."

Last year, 195 people were killed in road accidents, according to figures from Traffic Police, compared with 193 in the previous year.

Motorists in the AXA survey cited going through amber lights, speeding at more than 10 kmh above the limit and switching lanes without signalling as the three dangerous driving behaviours they committed most often.

Then there's the tailgating, even of emergency vehicles.

An ambulance driver who wanted to be known as only Mr Fariz,40, told The New Paper: "These drivers would keep close to my ambulance so as to get out of the congestion.

"But it is a very inconsiderate and dangerous act.

"What happens when I need to brake in an emergency? I am afraid that these drivers would hit my ambulance and injure my patients and their relatives that I am ferrying."

More aware? 
 
But could it be that we are just more aware of bad driving habits on the roads?

Transport analyst Lee Der Horng of the National University of Singapore thinks so.

He told The New Paper that his views are based solely on his observations of the road conditions when he drives to and from work.

"When I started driving here, I did notice how some drivers did not signal before changing lanes. But because traffic was comparatively low then, it was not an issue," said Dr Lee, who came here from Taiwan in 1999.

"Today, we have more vehicles on the roads and as traffic gets more congested, (naturally) we see more friction among the drivers."

Dr Lee began noticing the increased friction on the roads about six years ago as traffic got more congested, he added.

Mr Fariz agreed that it was less intense on our roads when he started driving the ambulance in the mid-1990s.

"Back then, when drivers see my ambulance approaching, they would quickly give way to me.

"Today, I would need to switch on the siren to alert drivers ahead. Even so, some of them would still hog the lane and not give way to me.".

How do we tackle the problem then?

Dr Lee said since it would be hard to change the volume of traffic here, education would be the key to improve driving conditions.

And that includes "educating" foreign drivers.

He recalled how he had made a number of bad mistakes when he first started driving here.

Dr Lee said: "I was driving on West Coast Highway and there was no traffic. I made a wrong turn and drove against traffic flow. Some vehicles flashed their headlights at me and I pulled over by the side of the road before making a U-turn.

"Even though I can drive and know traffic rules, it does not mean I am familiar with local driving conditions."

If we don't make a change now, new foreign arrivals will be conditioned to embrace the same bad driving habits.

He said: "The environment will change the driver's behaviour. When a driver is new, he would tend to be more conservative and drive more carefully on the road.

"But over the years, he would gain more confidence and maybe become more aggressive. His behaviour will be influenced by other drivers he encounters on the road."

Chong Pang accident: 1 victim in ICU

At about 8am, a dark grey Mercedes was reversing into a parking space in front of Block 102 in Yishun Avenue 2 when the driver was said to have lost control of the vehicle, which then continued on for 50m.

The car slammed into a number of stalls under the block - including a newspaper stand and a vegetable stall, sending newspapers and red onions flying into the air - before coming to a stop after another 50m.

It also hit a parked Toyota, dislodging the white car's bumper.

Two men and three women - in their 50s and 60s - were injured in the incident, which was captured by a closed-circuit TV camera in the vicinity.

A video clip of the incident was uploaded online, and shows the speeding car ramming into the stalls with the driver's door open. Frantic passers-by can also be seen dashing out of the way.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman said a phone call about the incident was received at about 8.15am.

Three ambulances took the five victims to the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. The victims suffered head, limb and back injuries.

A police spokesman said that the driver, a 65-year-old man, was assisting in investigations. He was unhurt.

Some eyewitnesses said he may have been with his wife.

A Khoo Teck Puat Hospital spokesman said three of the five victims have since been discharged.

Of the two remaining victims, one was in a high-dependency ward in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit, while the other was in a general ward.

When my paper visited the scene at about 1pm, there was no sign of the car or any debris. A small shopping trolley, which stallholders said belonged to one of the injured women, was propped up against a nearby lamppost.

Ms Ma Jiayi, 45, a shop assistant at Lam Vegetables and Fruits, said she heard a loud crash 10 minutes after she arrived for work. There were about 10 customers at the shop at the time.

Recounting the screams and confusion that followed, she said: "I was so scared, I couldn't even react.

"One of the victims was sitting on the floor with a fractured leg. You could see the broken bone through his skin."

Update:
The victim who is in the high-dependency ward (HDW) at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital has been identified as 51-year-old Madam Mahalakshmi, The New Paper reported on Tuesday.

She is the last person to be hit and suffered the most serious injuries, including a cracked skull, fractured spine, collar bone and ribs, as well as internal bleeding in her brain.

Madam Mahalakshmi is still under observation. Her son told The New Paper that she still cannot speak coherently and lapses in and out of consciousness because of the sedatives she has to take.

The production operator at Seagate was shopping for groceries with her family at the market when she was hit.

Woman driver strips naked to prevent medical rescue

*Shown above: The woman desperately tried to stop an ambulance that had rushed to the rescue by lying down naked in front of it.

A woman is in custody after lying naked in front of an ambulance that was trying to reach a mother and daughter she is accused of hitting with her car, police said.

The 4-year-old girl later died, family said.

The accident occurred on June 17 when a 36-year-old teacher sped through a residential community street in Linyi, Shandong province, hitting the mother and her daughter on a bike, as well as several cars on the street.

Video footage online depicted the driver's frantic behavior after her car got stuck in a flower bed, when she desperately tried to stop an ambulance that had rushed to the rescue by lying down naked in front of it.

Later, as medical staff prepared to leave the scene, she forcibly grabbed the girl from the ambulance and pulled her to the ground.

Wang Lewen, the girl's uncle, said she died in the hospital and the mother was in a coma.

Wang said the family used to say hello to the driver as they live in neighboring buildings. "We barely knew anything about her, not to mention holding any hatred toward each other," he said.

Wang said the family decided to put the video on the Internet as they believe more attention will help bring the case to justice.

The video has already been subject of great attention after being reposted on micro blogs and video-sharing websites.

Yi Shenghua, a lawyer at Beijing Yingke Law Firm, said a test of the driver's mental state is necessary before the judicial process begins.

"It is possible that she suffered a mental disorder at that moment as her behavior seems to have gone beyond what a normal person would have done after a traffic accident," Yi said. Yi believed if a test proves the driver had a disorder, she should be given a lighter punishment, otherwise she could face severe penalties for murder.

"The traffic accident might be one act of killing by mistake. But trying to interrupt rescue efforts is an act that tries to deprive others of life," Yi said.

An official from the local police, who only gave his name as Chen, said an investigation is ongoing.

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.

Heavy rains topple trees and smash cars

SINGAPORE - A heavy thunderstorm last night toppled trees and flooded roads all over Singapore.

According to an AsiaOne reader, the wind was so strong that the roads were littered with dangerous debris such as branches and the rain was coming down at an angle.

Stomp contributor Stanley wrote in to say that his car was next to an unfortunate cab that got dented by a falling tree.

"When I woke up this morning, I was shocked to see the back of the taxi was seriously damaged," he said, adding that the tree had been removed by the time he noticed the destruction.

He said the back screen of the taxi was shattered, but nobody was injured.

"I count myself fortunate as my car was just next to the taxi," he said.

Toppled trees were also spotted at Clementi and Hillview Road, where the tree at Clementi Avenue 2 fell on a parked car.

Stomp contributor Christinee who spotted the fallen tree at Hillview Road expressed surprise that such a "heavy big tree can actually fall so easily just because of the wind."

"It's lucky that no accidents were caused or anyone injured," she said.

The brief but heavy half-hour downpour also caused flood water to pool at the junction of Admiralty Road and Marsiling Drive early this morning.

According to an eye-witness, the water was at almost knee-level.

At about 6am this morning, the National Environmental Agency issued a warning of heavy rain ahead.

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.

Ferrari crash junction, red light rogues still beat light

The junction where the accident occurred is notorious for motorists running the red light.

Netizens have claimed that, as a result, there have been countless near misses at the junction of Victoria Street and Rochor Road.

Just two Saturdays ago, three people were killed after a Ferrari driver allegedly ignored a red light there before crashing into a taxi.

The Ferrari driver, Mr Ma Chi, 31, a Chinese national, died at the scene.

The taxi driver, Mr Cheng Teck Hock, 52, and his Japanese passenger, Ms Shigemi Ito, 41, died in hospital.

The situation is worse on Fridays and Saturdays, netizens said, as revellers leave watering holes at places like Boat Quay and Orchard Road and head down Victoria Street towards Kallang.

Two weeks after the accident, The New Paper waited at the same junction from 1am to 4am on Saturday. How bad was it?

Despite the accident, some motorists still blatantly beat the red lights at the junction.

Three cars, two taxis and a motorcycle ran the light when TNP was at the junction.

The first offender, a motorcyclist, was spotted at 1.30am.

He rode down Victoria Street and turned left into Rochor Road even though the light had turned red.

Traffic at the junction became less heavy soon after.

But between 3am and 4am, as clubbers left from a night of partying, the roads became crowded again with cars revving their engines.

Most of the vehicles were travelling from the city down Victoria Street towards Kallang.

A dark-coloured car beat the red light at 3am about five seconds after it changed from green.

About 15 minutes later, another car and a taxi were seen doing the same.

A light-coloured car, this time travelling from the East Coast Parkway down Rochor Road, beat the red light soon after at 3.25am.

About five minutes after this, another taxi travelling down Victoria Street was spotted doing likewise as it turned into Rochor Road.

No camera 

The junction isn't fitted with a red-light camera.

The offence of jumping a red light carries a six- month jail term.

But first offenders are usually fined up to $1,000 and given 12 demerit points. Any motorist who accumulates 24 or more demerit points within two years will be barred from driving for a year.

Motorists whom TNP spoke to said that another accident at the junction is imminent if fellow road users continue beating the red light there.

One motorist, Mr Trevor Chan, 36, who works in the sales line, said: "Maybe it's time that the authorities install a red-light camera at the junction. Only then would motorists stop breaking the law there."

A primary school teacher, who declined to be named, felt the same way.

"This is the only way to stop these irresponsible motorists from breaking the law," she said.

Ferrari accident: Cabby's family receives $170,000 in donations

SINGAPORE - Donations have been pouring in for late cabby Cheng Teck Hock's family.
According to mypaper, ComfortDelGro had collected about $170,000, as of Friday.

Tammy Tan, ComfortDelGro's group corporate communications officer told mypaper that staff, cabbies and the public have been generous, and the highest amount for a single donation was $30,000 from an anonymous donor.

Mr Cheng, 52, died in an accident on May 12. He had been driving his taxi past the junction of Rochor Road and Victoria Street when his car was hit by a Ferrari.

Both the Ferrari driver, Mr Ma Chi, and the taxi's passenger, Ms Shigemi Ito, also died in the accident.

Mr Cheng was the sole breadwinner for the family, and his family faced financial difficulties. His three children need help with school fees.

The National Taxi Association (NTA) was also working closely with ComfortDelGro to help the family financially, according to reports.

NTA said that fellow taxi drivers and the public have made donations, with two cabbies making a $5,000 donation each.

A group of staff and merchants at Sim Lim Square have also pooled together a combined donation amount of $10,000.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for Nee Soon GRC, Mr K Shanmugan said in a Facebook post on Friday that he has spoken to several government agencies, a Foundation and grassroots leaders.

They are trying to help the family in a "structured and sustained way", but will speak with the family to assess their needs when they are ready.

Mr Shanmugan said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that he told Cheng's 21-year-old daughter not to worry about university fees as long as she qualifies for a local university. He also reassured Mdm Lim that he and his grassroots leaders will help ease her family's financial problems.

ComfortDelGro is still collecting donations until the end of the month.

Cheque donations can be dropped off at the general service counter on level 1 of the ComfortDelGro office located at 383 Sin Ming Drive.

Cheques should be made payable to his wife, Mdm Lim Choo Eng.

They can also be mailed to:

THE CHENG FAMILY c/o Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd 383 Sin Ming Drive Singapore 575717 Attn: Customer Service Centre

Cash donations can be made at the cashier next to the general service counter. The office is open from 8am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday.

THE CHENG FAMILY c/o Comfort Transportation Pte Ltd 383 Sin Ming Drive Singapore 575717 Attn: Customer Service Centre
Cash donations can be made at the cashier next to the general service counter. The office is open from 8am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday.

What should you do in the event of an accident?

Following the report of a woman who panicked, crushing a student between two cars, AsiaOne Motoring approached the Automobile Association of Singapore (AA) for some pointers on how drivers can keep calm and help the situation.

A spokesperson from AA pointed out that shock suffered by the driver involved in an accident often results in confusion.

This could lead to a state of mind where the driver is not sure what he is supposed to do next.
Here are some important tips to keep in mind:

Stop your vehicle

Stop your vehicle, not only because you are required by law to stop at the scene of the accident, but also because this may prevent more injuries.

Provide or call for medical assistance

Remain calm. If anyone is injured, the first priority is to immediately call for an ambulance and the police.

If you are trained to do so, provide first aid. Do not move any vehicles and/or persons unless instructed by the police.

Warn other motorists

For non-injury accidents, you can move the accident vehicles to a safe place if the accident vehicles are obstructing traffic or if is posing a hazard to other road users.

For accidents with injury/death, vehicles are not to be moved unless instructed by the police. Use vehicle breakdown signs, lights, reflectors to warn other road users of the accident.

Important information to get a hold of

Exchange driver's particulars; name, NRIC, address, contact number, car registration number and name of insurance company.

If there are witnesses, take down their particulars and contact numbers. Record the date, time and location of the accident.

If a camera is available, take pictures of the damaged vehicles, otherwise take note of the damages on paper. Do not admit or discuss liability at this stage.

Report the accident

For accidents involving injury/death/pedestrian/cyclist/government or foreign vehicles/government property, make a police report as soon as possible or within 24 hours of the accident and complete the General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA) Motor Accident Report (MAR) Form as well.

For non-injury accidents, while not required to make a police report but parties involved would still need to complete and submit the GIA MAR Form to the insurers as soon as possible. The GIA MAR Form is available from the insurers.

Along the way, if you receive any Writ of Summons, Traffic Summons or any other correspondence from third parties, inform and provide full details immediately to your insurer.

Making an own damage (OD) claim

A. For comprehensive policies: 

Contact your insurance company as soon as possible. You would be required to complete and return a Motor Accident Report form.

The insurance company may also require you to send your damaged vehicle to a specified workshop for repairs (this may be stated in your insurance policy). The insurance company would appoint an independent adjuster to assess the damages to your vehicle and negotiate the repair costs with the motor repairers.

Once this is agreed, the insurance company would authorise the repairs. After repairs have been completed, you should check that it is to your satisfaction before signing a satisfaction voucher and take delivery of the vehicle. The motor repairers would require you to settle with them any Excess which you have to bear, before releasing the vehicle to you. The balance of the repair costs would be billed direct to the insurance company.

Should you find any problems with the repairs done, it should be referred to the motor repairers without delay. Your insurance company should also be advised so that they may withhold payment of the repair bill until the problem is resolved.

B. For a third party motor insurance claim, that is, where you are making a claim against the other party: 

You must notify your insurance company that there has been an accident. You should then, on your own accord, contact the third party.

The third party's insurer will be informed by their insured on the matter and they will require you to provide full details of the accident and may send a surveyor to assess the damage to your vehicle.

Upon completion of its investigation, the insurance company would make an offer to settle the claim if it is a legitimate claim. If you accept, you would need to sign a claims discharge form indicating your acceptance.

Provide as soon as possible, all information at your disposal to the questions that are raised by the insurance company as this would facilitate the claims department in processing the claim.

Mother's brave hug saves son

A Singapore family's holiday in Malacca ended in tragedy when a woman and her son were killed when the car they were in went out of control on the North-South Highway.

Madam Mok Ping Ping , 40, and two of her sons, aged 14 and seven, who were seated at the back, were flung out.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that Madam Mok had grabbed her youngest son and hugged him tightly as they were thrown out to the side of the highway.

Her instinctive action as a protective mother probably saved her son's life as her body shielded him from the full impact of hitting the ground.

Madam Mok and her oldest son, who was thrown onto the middle of the highway, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Her youngest son, a seven-year-old boy, suffered superficial injuries to his head.

The family were on the way back to Singapore when the accident took place near Pagoh in Johor around 5.30pm on Saturday.

It was raining heavily when the car skidded and crashed into a metal barrier along the side of the highway.

Madam Mok's husband was sitting in front next to a friend who was driving. Both of them escaped unhurt.

Another son, who's 13, was travelling with their friends in another car.

Madam Mok and her husband did not have driving licences, Lianhe Wanbao reported.

LOUD WAILS

Her husband broke into loud wails and called repeatedly for her and their son during a ritual held at the accident site around 2am on Sunday.

When The New Paper visited their home in an Upper Bukit Timah Road condominium last night, no one answered the door.

A neighbour said she had not seen the family "for the past few days".

The woman, who looked to be in her 20s and did not want to be named, said the family had moved in just a few months ago.

She knew little about them, except that they have a pet dog.

In another accident on the North-South Highway, a tour bus carrying 29 passengers went out of control on Saturday night and crashed into bushes at the side the road before flipping over.

No one died in the accident, but 15 passengers suffered minor injuries.

The bus is believed to have left Genting Highlands around 4.30pm on Saturday and was heading north when the accident happened near Gopeng in Perak.

SLIPPERY

Slippery roads caused by the rainy weather might have contributed to the crash, reported Sin Chew Daily.

Eight passengers travelling on a commercial bus from Kajang suffered minor injuries when their vehicle crashed into a wall in Kuala Lumpur, stopping several metres from the railway tracks.

The New Straits Times reported that the bus, which was on its way from Kajang to Central Market in Kuala Lumpur, skidded near a traffic light at Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, on Saturday morning.

The 54-year-old bus driver, who escaped unhurt, then lost control of the bus and it hit a traffic light post and an overhead bridge nearby.

SINGAPOREANS KILLED ON MALAYSIAN ROADS 

June 2011
A woman died and another suffered injuries when a minibus they were in overturned on the North-South Highway near Kulai, Johor.

The accident happened when one of the vehicle's tyres burst, causing the minibus to go out of control and overturn.

April 2011
A 29-year-old IT manager died after he crashed his motorcycle into a barrier on the North-South Highway near Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

February 2011
An elderly woman was killed when the MPV she was in crashed on the North-South Highway near Pagoh, Johor, after the driver lost control of the vehicle.

The woman's son, a 53-year-old businessman, and five other relatives were hurt.

August 2010
A 19-year-old student was flung out of her boyfriend's car after he lost control and crashed into railings in Kluang, Johor.

The student died later in a Johor Baru hospital.

July 2010
A 62-year-old retiree was killed after returning with friends from a holiday in Penang.

The van he was in was involved a three-vehicle collision in Perak.

June 2010
A young Singaporean couple heading home from Genting Highlands crashed their car into the central divider on the North-South Highway in Johor.

The 21-year-old man died, while his girlfriend survived.

June 2010
A retired teacher driving with his family to a wedding in Terengganu smashed his car into a road barrier and spun out of control.

Their vehicle then collided with an oncoming car.

The man, his wife, their 12-year-old granddaughter and their Indonesian maid were killed.

Meet the new traffic 'witness'

Watch it - because you're being watched. Not only on cameras set up by police at traffic junctions and on the streets but, increasingly, in cars.

One motorist, sales executive Goh Keng Guan, 40, has installed cameras in his and four of his family's cars.

One in 50 car insurance claims is now accompanied by video evidence, double that of a year ago, said Mr Pan Jing Long, head of general insurance at Aviva Singapore.

Distributors reported that demand for vehicle cameras has been increasing by between 15 and 50 per cent yearly.

In the past week alone, in-car camera videos from two accidents were posted on YouTube, citizen journalism website Stomp and other forums (see below for pictures).

Last Tuesday morning, a cabby's camera captured a 66-year-old woman, Madam Chan Ah Ying, being knocked down and killed by a bus in Sengkang while she was crossing a traffic light junction.

The following night, footage from the aftermath of an accident - a cyclist trapped under a car at Jalan Bukit Merah - was posted on YouTube.

The motorist who posted the second video said that he is always on the lookout for newer technologies that would allow him to capture his surroundings, especially while on the road.

It all started when he posted photos on Stomp of a Nissan Skyline which had knocked down a woman at Beach Road in September 2010.

The 37-year-old motorist, who wanted to be known only as JT, said: "The accident was fatal and I felt for that poor woman.

"If I had video footage, it would perhaps have helped the police to prove that the driver involved was indeed racing with another Audi car that disappeared from the scene."

He then bought an in-car video recorder for S$299 to be his "witness" on the road.

He said: "I hope that I never have to use it but these days, you can never be sure. As safe as you are as a driver, there are a lot more inconsiderate and reckless drivers out there.

"The guilty party should never get away with it while the innocent ones should not be framed."

Another motorist, Mr Alvin Ng, 34, has become a firm "film buff" after an incident on an expressway last April.

The other driver cut in front of Mr Ng's Honda Stream and jammed his brakes.

After the accident, the other motorist tried to claim S$18,000 from Mr Ng's insurance company for medical bills and S$12,000 for repairs to his car. The case has yet to be settled.

Said Mr Ng: "That was a very bad experience for me. It left a sour taste in my mouth."

When the civil servant bought a new Peugeot 407 two weeks later, he immediately installed a camera. "If I had a camera, it would have been very obvious that he was trying to provoke me," he said.

Three insurance companies contacted by The New Paper said that while video evidence is not required in submitting claims, it is useful in assessing liability.

Mr Pui Phusangmook, general manager of the general insurance division of NTUC Income, said the company would ask policyholders if they have such evidence to support their claims.

"The rule of thumb is that the more evidence there is, the more accurate the reports will be," he said.

In-car video cameras
A spokesman for insurance firm Etiqa said it encourages policyholders to install in-car video cameras.

He said: "With the recorded footage, we are not only able to view how accidents occur but also information like the exact location, road and weather condition."

The cameras cost between S$100 and S$400.

Mr Marcus Tan, director of Eureka Plus - which sells the MARC car camera - said technology has vastly improved in the five years since it started selling in-car cameras.

Previous cameras would even be in black and white, or just 320 pixels, as compared to the present high definition models, he said.

Increasing awareness and affordability have also led to the increase in demand for in-car cameras, said Ms Amy Hoi, business development executive at Bio-Cognitive Solutions, which offers the
Recodia dual-channel camera.

She said: "When we first started out more than two years ago, it was s$380 for a single camera car recorder. Now, the prices for our single and dual camera car recorders are from $290 to $399."

Distributors said the cameras are also helpful in vandalism cases.

Mr Gary Chia, product manager of Wow! Gadgets, said customers would install one to four camera units per car - with victims of vandalism installing three or four units to ensure all angles were covered.

In the first three months this year, at least five customers have caught vandals with the company's BlackVue cameras, he claimed.

A motorist, who wanted to be known as Mr Goh, installed a camera last December after his car was scratched.

'It's about being protected'
"It's about being protected. This camera can do a lot of things - if people break in, if people hit and run, if they knock your car while parking, I'm able to get the offender," he said.

Just last month, a car hit Mr Goh's Volkswagen GTI and drove off. Even if Mr Goh had failed to catch up with the driver, he needn't have worried as his in-car camera captured the other car's licence plate number.

Lawyer Gloria James of Gloria James-Civetta & Co said footage from these cameras has been increasingly showing up in court, compared to two years ago.

She said: "During prosecution, if the 'victim' feels that the investigation officer (IO) is not proceeding to charge the 'accused', this footage evidence has to be mentioned and produced to the IO.

"It can be produced at the Magistrate's Complaint Stage too."

On the other hand, if an IO does not take footage evidence into consideration and an accused is charged, he can opt to claim trial and produce this evidence, she said.

Footage evidence can also be used to prosecute aperson.

Ms James cited one client who had a tailgater flashing his high beams and pursuing him for almost 10 minutes.

Her client called the traffic police, produced the video and the tailgater was issued with a warning.

But lawyer Patrick Yeo of KhattarWong cautioned that evidence could cut both ways.

He said: "If a person has a camera and chooses not to present footage to the court, the court will ask him about it, as he's not giving full disclosure."

But even if the camera doesn't capture accidents or vandals, users like Mr Terence Kang are happy.

Said the 41-year-old sales executive who installed a camera in his Toyota Vios three weeks ago: "It reminds me to be a safer driver. Before installation, I didn't care about cutting in front of other cars.

"Knowing the camera is there capturing my car's every move, I'm more careful. Really, it's for the protection of myself and other drivers out there."