SKK1498C, you ran over a man and continued to drive over his leg.
I chased after you and you refused to stop even after I stopped my car in front of yours.
I’ve reported you to the police.
Source: Libbie Tan
Tag: road
-
Dispatch Rider, 23, Plies The Roads With A Prayer And A Dream
Friends of Mr Fitri Ismail used to tease him for being a delivery boy.
“Last time, they liked to disturb me. They’d say, ‘See, I work in a cafe and I (am) already a manager but you are still doing deliveries’,” said the 23-year-old.
But Mr Ismail is having the last laugh – for now, at least.
For the past year, he has been pulling in $3,000 to $4,000 a month as a Deliveroo delivery rider, more than what some of his peers earn in their office or F&B jobs.
“It’s funny to see those friends who used to poke fun at me now joining as dispatch riders too,” said Mr Ismail, who used to earn $1,200 as a pizza deliveryman after Central Provident Fund (CPF) deductions of about $400.
Besides the good take-home pay, Mr Ismail enjoys his job’s flexible hours, which allow him to time his days off with his father’s medical appointments.
But the gig economy job comes with the downsides that many have warned about.
As a freelancer, Mr Ismail does not get the benefits that an employee has. There are no employer’s CPF contribution, medical benefits, paid annual leave or work injury compensation.
“My mum worries about me not having funds in my CPF so I give her about $200 every month to top up my account and earn the interest there,” said Mr Ismail.
He has a total of $4,000 in his CPF account now – which he knows will not go far for needs such as buying a flat or medical costs.
So, he tries to make sure he squirrels away $1,800 a month as savings. Currently, he has about $10,000 in the bank.
He wants to put aside $150,000 by the time he hits his 40s. Then, he hopes, he can quit being a dispatch rider and start his own F&B and delivery business with friends.
“I only have a certificate from ITE so it’s hard to find other jobs. I tried applying to be a gym instructor, front-line police officer and technician but was rejected,” he said.
Mr Ismail is one of 200,000 freelancers in Singapore, a group of workers that is expected to grow as the gig economy gains traction.
While it has meant better take- home pay for some such as Mr Ismail, the Government and economists alike worry about their long- term financial health.
Another concern is the fact that the job is physically demanding and can be risky.
Mr Ismail plies the roads from 11.15am to 11.15pm, four or five days a week. He pushes himself to make two to three deliveries an hour in the Orchard area where he is based. That brings his hourly wage to an average of about $21. On top of his $8.50 an hour pay, he earns $4 on weekdays and $6 on weekends for every delivery.
He has made up to 40 deliveries a day – a record among Deliveroo riders, according to Mr Ismail.
His own biggest worry is getting injured in an accident on the road. So far, he has only had one minor run-in with a speeding car, which dented the back of his red and black Honda Wave motorbike.
He knows that having a body fit enough for work is his only financial bulwark for now. Every day, as he straddles his vehicle and revs up its engine, he spends an extra five seconds mumbling a silent prayer.
“God, please protect me on the roads and let me live another day.”
Rilek1Corner
Source: www.straitstimes.com
-
Taxi Justice – Cabby Drives Against Traffic To Chase Driver Who Hit Him
The cabby had stopped for a red light at a traffic junction when a silver multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) slammed into the rear of his taxi.
Before Mr Muhammad Ali Abdul Kadir, 41, could get out to investigate, the MPV sped off, beating the red light in the process.
Unable to jot down the culprit’s licence plate in time, Mr Ali decided to give chase. The pursuit took them past two more red lights as well as against the flow of traffic, but Mr Ali said he felt he needed to catch the irresponsible driver and warn others.
“I kept sounding my horn to warn other road users of this dangerous driver and tried to keep up,” he said.
“I know what I did was wrong, but I needed to catch and stop him.”
Mr Ali thought he almost had him after the driver crashed head-on into a police Land Rover, which was travelling in the opposite direction, and came to a halt.
But when Mr Ali alighted from his taxi and tried to open the MPV door, the driver reversed his vehicle, swerved it to the right and caused Mr Ali to fall
The MPV then sped off into the distance.
But the driver did not get far.
His reign of terror on the roads ended when his vehicle crashed into the wall of a mall carpark and burst into flames.
Yesterday, Chee Chern Chun, 42, was jailed 12 weeks, fined $2,000 and banned from driving for three years.
His 1.3km rampage began at 3.26am on Oct 3, 2014, when he crashed into the rear of Mr Ali’s taxi at the junction of Merchant Road and Eu Tong Sen Street.
Chee then beat the red light at the junction and drove along North Canal Road, prompting Mr Ali to give chase.
“I was very angry. I believe that you must be responsible for your actions. This driver just drove off. I couldn’t let him go just like that,” he said.
ONE-WAY ROAD
Chee beat a second red light as he turned onto South Bridge Road, and a third one when he made a right turn onto Upper Pickering Street, which is a one-way road.
Mr Ali tried his best to keep up.
“He was going very fast on a small road. I kept honking, just hoping to alert other road users and prevent an accident,” he said.
They drove against the flow of traffic and onto a slip road from New Bridge Road, where Chee crashed head-on with a police Land Rover.
Mr Ali quickly alighted from his taxi and tried to open Chee’s door, which was locked. He also caught a glimpse of the errant driver for the first time.
“He looked blur, like he was in a daze. He didn’t look like someone who had been driving in such an aggressive manner,” he said.
Their encounter was brief as Chee reversed his vehicle and caused Mr Ali, who was holding on to the door handle, to fall.
Chee then sped off and drove against the flow of traffic along New Bridge Road until he reached Funan DigitaLife Mall.
He crashed through the mall carpark exit barrier and collided into a hose reel, causing his engine to catch fire.
But Chee continued his road rampage as he reversed his vehicle and grazed a parked lorry.
The MPV eventually came to a halt after it crashed into a wall and burst into flames.
Chee, who managed to escape, was detained by the mall’s security officers as the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived to put out the fire.
Mr Ali gasped when he heard the details for the first time yesterday.
“I thought he just pulled over on his own. I didn’t know it took his vehicle going up in flames to put an end to it. I hope he was all right,” he said.
Police officers found that Chee reeked of alcohol, had a flushed face and bloodshot eyes, and was slurring, court papers said.
A Breath Evidential Analyser test revealed that he was two units short of failing the prescribed limit of 35 microgrammes per 100ml of breath.
He later told the authorities that he had been suffering from extreme fatigue. Court papers said Mr Ali’s taxi and the police Land Rover suffered slight damage to their rear and front bumper respectively.
Mr Ali also suffered bruises and was given three days of medical leave.
Yesterday, Chee was jailed, fined and banned from driving for one count each of rash driving endangering human life, inconsiderate driving that caused the collision with Mr Ali’s taxi, and failing to stop after being involved in an accident.
Two other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
When told of Chee’s sentence, Mr Ali promptly replied: “Good.”
But he added that he did not bear any grudges against the driver and that the experience did not faze him from going back out on the roads.
“What was most important was that no one was seriously hurt or killed that night. And that justice is done,” he said.
I was very angry. I believe that you must be responsible for your actions. This driver just drove off. I couldn’t let him go just like that.
– Mr Muhammad Ali Abdul Kadir, who gave chase in his taxi after he was hit from behind by the MPV
Chee Chern Chun, who is driving a multi-purpose vehicle, crashes into the rear of Mr Muhammad Ali Abdul Kadir’s taxi, which had stopped at the junction of Merchant Road and Eu Tong Sen Street.
Instead of stopping, Chee drives off, beating a red light.
He drives along North Canal Road and runs a second red light as he turns right onto South Bridge Road.
He drives along South Bridge Road and beats a third red light as he turns onto Upper Pickering Street against the flow of traffic.
Chee continues driving onto a slip road from New Bridge Road and crashes into a police Land Rover.
Mr Ali, who is tailing Chee, alights and tries to open Chee’s door. But he reverses and swerves to the right, causing Mr Ali to fall.
Chee drives onto New Bridge Road – again against the flow of traffic.
He drives to Funan DigitaLife Mall, crashes through the exit barrier and drives into the carpark.
There, he crashes into a hose reel, causing his engine to catch fire.
He reverses and grazes a parked lorry. He crashes into a wall and his vehicle bursts into flame. Chee is arrested.
Source: www.tnp.sg
-
Virtual Cash Card Aims To Solve ERP Woes
That sinking feeling motorists get as they approach a gantry and realise their CashCard is too low on funds to cover the toll can now be a thing of the past.
In what could be the next big thing in cashless payments here, a new virtual wallet from Nets will save the day for those who forget to top up.
It allows motorists to pay electronic road pricing (ERP) charges even when they have no physical CashCard in their in-vehicle units (IUs) or if a CashCard is there but has run low on funds.
Nets is launching the vCashCard with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Thursday.
Nets chief executive Jeffrey Goh said in an exclusive interview: “It’s time to implement a virtual CashCard to bring convenience to motorists, so that they don’t have to worry about administrative fees.”
Motorists caught with insufficient funds or without a CashCard in their IUs pay an administrative fee of $10, on top of the ERP charges they owe.
To use the new service, motorists should register for a vCashCard account via the Nets website at vcashcard.nets.com.sg
This account is first topped up with $50 from the registered credit or debit card or bank account.
ERP charges are deducted directly from the vCashCard account when there is no physical CashCard in the IU.
If you have a card in the IU when passing through a gantry, it works as usual and ERP charges will be deducted from it.
When funds in the vCashCard fall below $10, the virtual wallet will automatically be topped up with $50 from one of your accounts linked to the wallet. Mr Goh said: “It’s worry-free, there’s no monthly maintenance fee except for a top-up fee from time to time when you run out of cash.”
Subscription to vCashCard is free, and the top-up fee each time is 50 cents, but that will be waived for motorists who sign up with a United Overseas Bank card or Internet banking account, for the first year. Mr Goh said Nets is open to working with other banks as well for this promotion, adding that banks can consider promoting this “as part of their service”.
The vCashCard is just one of several new initiatives that the payment network – also known as the Network for Electronic Transfers Singapore – is rolling out this year as it turns 30. “Nets, with the Government, is providing convenience and easing worry for motorists, and a means to somewhat enable a cashless Singapore, through everything that we do,” said Mr Goh.
Nets is also working on a second phase of the service, so that it can also be used at electronic parking system carparks.
Student Koe Zi Yan, 21, said he would prefer to save on the top-up fee, and he tops up more than $50 to his CashCard each time. “If the system lets me set the amount to top up each time, I’ll consider using it.”
Source: www.straitstimes.com