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</td> </tr> <tr><td class="content_subtitle" align="left"> Thurs, Feb 04, 2010
The Straits Times </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="15">
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Lorry drivers getting away with flouting rules <!-- TITLE : end--> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" height="15">
</td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3" class="bodytext_10pt"> <!-- CONTENT : start --> A reader's letter
RECENTLY, the bus stop opposite my apartment was the scene of an accident in which a teenage girl was injured, apparently by falling timber pallets from a lorry. Pallets were also found strewn on the road. She was waiting for the bus when the pallets fell off the passing lorry and hit her. I recalled a similar incident that happened to me while I was driving three months ago. A lorry passed me on the left lane along Clementi Avenue6, and pieces of granite stones were flung out of its rear tub.
The stones ricocheted off the ground and struck the bonnet and undercarriage of my new car, and caused a hole in my windscreen. What appalled me was that the lorry driver was unrepentant. He told me it would not affect him as he had escaped insurance claims over similar incidents unscathed several times. He was right. I ended up having to claim from my own insurance for repairs. There may be speed limits and safety regulations imposed on lorries and heavy goods vehicles, but it is evident that many drivers of such vehicles ignore the rules.
They speed, and the goods they carry are not adequately secured to stop them from being a danger to motorists and other road users, including innocent commuters waiting for the bus like the teenager. Companies which own these vehicles should educate their drivers and make them pay a price for their reckless deeds instead of allowing them to continue endangering others. Insurers should also review the practice of making car owners pay for the replacement windscreen. Such claims should be investigated, and the culprits made accountable.
The Land Transport Authority or the Traffic Police should enforce the speed limit and safety regulations involving heavy vehicles more strictly. The authorities should also introduce a more effective channel for public feedback that will let motorists report errant drivers to enable timely action. Until these happen, motorists like me will have no choice but to face a greater risk on the road even if they keep a safe distance from lorries.
Kan Saik Wai
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The Straits Times </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="15">
Lorry drivers getting away with flouting rules <!-- TITLE : end--> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3" height="15">
RECENTLY, the bus stop opposite my apartment was the scene of an accident in which a teenage girl was injured, apparently by falling timber pallets from a lorry. Pallets were also found strewn on the road. She was waiting for the bus when the pallets fell off the passing lorry and hit her. I recalled a similar incident that happened to me while I was driving three months ago. A lorry passed me on the left lane along Clementi Avenue6, and pieces of granite stones were flung out of its rear tub.
The stones ricocheted off the ground and struck the bonnet and undercarriage of my new car, and caused a hole in my windscreen. What appalled me was that the lorry driver was unrepentant. He told me it would not affect him as he had escaped insurance claims over similar incidents unscathed several times. He was right. I ended up having to claim from my own insurance for repairs. There may be speed limits and safety regulations imposed on lorries and heavy goods vehicles, but it is evident that many drivers of such vehicles ignore the rules.
They speed, and the goods they carry are not adequately secured to stop them from being a danger to motorists and other road users, including innocent commuters waiting for the bus like the teenager. Companies which own these vehicles should educate their drivers and make them pay a price for their reckless deeds instead of allowing them to continue endangering others. Insurers should also review the practice of making car owners pay for the replacement windscreen. Such claims should be investigated, and the culprits made accountable.
The Land Transport Authority or the Traffic Police should enforce the speed limit and safety regulations involving heavy vehicles more strictly. The authorities should also introduce a more effective channel for public feedback that will let motorists report errant drivers to enable timely action. Until these happen, motorists like me will have no choice but to face a greater risk on the road even if they keep a safe distance from lorries.
Kan Saik Wai
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