Monday, Sep 17, 2012
my paper
Illegal street racing in spotlight again
By Chan Choong Han
Several road accidents last week have raised concerns about illegal street racing here, following earlier calls for a clampdown after May's fatal collision involving a Ferrari.
A post on citizen-journalism website Stomp yesterday said several cars were racing down Orchard Road early last Tuesday morning before one crashed, hitting a lamp post and a tree.
Police said they received a call at 3.15am about the accident and a woman in her 20s, who was conscious, was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The accident occurred near Orchard Parade Hotel.
Security supervisor Bala Chander, 27, who works near the accident site, said he saw and heard six or seven cars being driven very fast along Orchard Road that morning.
"It was very loud, like the noise you would hear from several racing cars," he said, adding that he later heard a loud screech, followed by a loud booming sound.
Mr Chander said the front of the car was so badly damaged that it was difficult to identify the vehicle's model.
He said the driver had an unsteady gait when he emerged from the wreck, but did not seem hurt.
His female passenger appeared to have trouble walking. my paper understands the driver is assisting police with investigations.
Another Stomp post last Friday said a car crashed along Brickland Road in Choa Chu Kang on Thursday, at about 9pm after its driver allegedly raced with two other cars.
The police said that a car crashed into a tree. The driver and a passenger were taken to National University Hospital.
Mr Cedric Foo, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Transport, said the Government is considering if it should create an avenue to give motorsports fanatics a place to race. "Everybody understands that speeding is out. But...some find motorsports interest- ing," he said.
Plans for a motorsports hub in Changi have stalled and its fate is uncertain.
Mr Foo said the police would be aware of illegal racing hot spots and there are speed cameras, but it is not possible to have a permanent police force watch hot spots round the clock.
Mr Ang Hin Kee, a member of the GPC for Transport, said drivers need to understand that any rash action has consequences. "Whether it's a high- performance vehicle or a normal vehicle, if you use it in a rash manner, the vehicle is a potentially dangerous thing on the road," he said.
He said an example must be made of those arrested for illegal racing and, if the penalties are not severe enough, they should be reviewed.
Bank teller Alex Giang, 23, who has seen illegal street races in Dhoby Ghaut and Somerset, said such races should be curbed.
"It's quite dangerous, the way (the racers) change lanes."
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