When Signalling Becomes A Too Difficult Task...

Though I have hold my driving licence for years now, but I never forget how my driving instructors had pounded on me on signalling early when I drive. I remember it's also on our driving theory book that had emphasized the importance of signalling and signalling early.

Unfortunately, this is not what I have seen in the recent weeks, it has dawn on me that I have seen lesser and lesser drivers on the road would even bother to signal. Some would signal just the very second it commence a turn and only for one second or two before the driver turn the signal off. While some drivers do signal but expect you to give way and force you to give way cause when the driver signal, he/she never bother to check if it's clear for them to switch lane and just cut right into your front, forcing you to jam break.

Previously, some survey was conducted and concluded that many drivers feel that as long as behind their vehicle is clear or the next car is quite a distant away, they feel that there is no need to signal their intention to switch lane or making a turn. But recently, more and more I noticed, there are many drivers out there don't even bother to signal even though you are just next to their car on the next lane, when they want to switch lane, they just drive slightly faster than you and cut right in front of you without signalling!!!

Another strange Singaporean drivers behaviours I have noticed is the 'want to win' or 'must be the first' kind of mentality. Chinese saying call this "打死都要赢" mentality. Why? One classic example that witnessed and experienced many time on the road. On the expressway, I was on lane 2 travelling at 90km/h minding my own business, about 4 to 5 cars distant away from the car in front of me, behind me hardly or no vehicles at all, approaching a exit slip road from the expressway. The next thing I knew is that a car speed up on my right cut right in front of me without signalling just so that the driver can get into the exit slip road!!!

Does the drivers have to do such stunt and reckless driving? Cutting in front of me without signalling at high speed? Why must he/she cut in front of me? Why can't the driver slow down a little, go behind my car and switch lane then go towards the slip road? Which is the much safer way of driving!! Mind you, I encountered such drivers more than once!!

Sometime I really wonders, what happens to all the safe driving tips that they had learned from their driving course?! What happens to all the pounding of instructors insisting them to signal when they drive and during their TP test?! Why is it the for many drivers, the very moment they received their driving licence, they will conveniently throw out and forget about every safe driving practises that they have just learned? Why is it so hard or difficult for any driver to signal their intention earlier and wait to ensure that it's clear and safe to switch lane or turn? Why is it so hard to slow down a little and let other vehicles who have the right of way to go first instead of speeding out from the slip road and turn into the next road when there is a car approaching?!

Why the rush in the first place? Why the need to speed down the expressway in a reckless manner? Weave in and out of vehicles and swing from one lane to another just to go ahead of everyone?

Sometime, I really wish I'm a traffic police, but then these drivers would probably thanks their lucky star that I'm not, cause if I'm a traffic police, I will surely book a ticket for all these reckless drivers, who is not only endanger their own lives, but other road users as well.

Now, what it takes to be a volunteer traffic police?