New Handphone Driving Law in Singapore

http://www.spf.gov.sg/about_spf/tp/faq_hpdriving.htm

While I agree that many people cannot multitask well enough, and using handphones while driving is dangerous, I have to say our Home Team isn't exactly tackling the issue that well.

What constitutes HP driving
i) the driver of a motor vehicle that is on a road or public place "uses" a mobile phone while the vehicle is in motion

ii) using one hand to hold on to the mobile phone and the other hand holding the steering wheel

iii) communicate whilst driving


Ok. I am not sure, but it looks like all 3 conditions has to be met before it becomes illegal.
Thus it looks like the TP is against (1) Communicating and (2) One hand on wheel.

My bane is with dangerous driving. Not specifically talking, or one-hand driving. I have been driving with one hand half the time too. I have also been picking my nose while driving. Is that going to be illegal as well ?

Problem for handphone driving is the distraction. If you know you can't handle the vehicle and SMS at the same time, don't do it.

I have 3 cases came to my mind :

(1) I was taking a taxi and the driver was talking on the phone with his friend. He was using earpiece and both hands on the steering wheel. We were at the left lane, behind a taxi. Turn-left-on-Red was available at the junction. Taxi in front turned left. My driver went straight across the junction while the RED light was still on !

I guess with both his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes looking ahead, he didn't see my face turning green in fear.

(2) I was driving in the rain in 1996 with a friend. We were chatting and on a bend, I knocked into a car that had stopped to turn right. I had 2 hands on the wheel and well below the speed limit.

(3) Recently, I was driving home and the same friend called to ask for directions to an obscure carpark in town. I was trying to visualize the map of the area in my mind and figuring out where he is, so that I can give the right directions. All while I was driving across 5 junctions of 3-lane roads, across 1 fly-over and 1 underpass.

When I hung up the phone, I realized I had no recollection of how I navigated the heavy traffic. I guess I went into auto-pilot, driving not-so-fast, and stayed a safe distance, and not changing lanes unnecessarily.



I mean, all of us drivers should know our limits, on what we can do and what we cannot do safely. Not up to regulators to draft up such silly laws.

If tomorrow, TP finds that listening to radio, talking and thinking is distraction from driving, then will they ban all forms of entertainment and communication while on the road ? After all, I have seen people chatting with their passengers, gesturing wildly and the car swerves left and right.

One day, if they deem we're so incapable of concentration, will they ban radio, talking and manual gears ? We might just drive like souless robots so as to be saved from ourselves. I guess dozing off from boredom is alright as we can do this with both hands firmly on the steering wheel.

And with great emphasis on "2-hands on the steering wheel", no wonder our Singaporean drivers are a "courteous" lot. I also should not "wave to say thanks" , as promoted by the road courtesy campaign, as that will mean I need to take one hand off the steering wheel.

How about other more dangerous forms of driving : no-signalling, dangerously changing lanes, road-hogging. Reckless driving and Speeding are not equal. I do not understand their current crusade against speeding and not other forms of dangerous driving too.

Well, I am no expert, so let the statistics speak for themselves.