5 Driving Tips To Keep You Safe On Singapore’s Road

Car safety is often one of the last things most people consider before purchasing a vehicle. Before buckling up your seatbelt for a ride, it is extremely important to keep in mind the importance of safe driving in the road. No one will admit to being a careless driver, but the truth is driving offenses are inevitable. Most of us, at one point or another, are distracted while driving behind the wheel on the road.

As a small country, Singapore is known for its financial and transport stability. However, due to its small island size, the roads are easily cluttered and crowded with cars (which led to the implementation of road tax or ERP). To drive legally in Singapore, you will need a car license. While most locals own a vehicle, others will rent them (drivers under the age of 23 are not allowed to rent a car).

Seeing how there were at least 15 road accidents in the first few weeks of ‘Phase Two’ in Singapore, it seems like many have misplaced the importance of safe driving. In order to better improve the safety of all drivers and passengers, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of safe driving tips to keep you safe on Singapore’s roads.


1. Drive Attentively

It is significant to drive with full attention to avoid possible accidents. Most Singaporeans lead hectic working lives, so it is important to avoid driving while suffering from severe lack of sleep.

If you think you are tired, stressed, or unwell, take a break from driving or drive out to the nearest exit. The chances of you falling sleep are high and driving in such a state is unwise. Driving with zero concentration will affect your judgment and get you behind the steering wheel. Consequently, it will slow down your reaction time and you might experience a blurry vague vision. Thus, driving while being tired is extremely risky and most go into an ‘autopilot’ (dozing) mode when they are too tired.


2. Do Not Use Your Mobile Phones

While a law was passed in 1999 to prohibit the use of mobile phones while driving, some drivers are easily distracted to look at their devices. In fact, more than 8 in 10 Singapore drivers

Inevitably, drivers who use a mobile phone are more prone to crash their vehicle. Mobile devices are one of the biggest distractions as drivers pay full attention to them – taking their hands, mind and vision off the road.

Thus, if you happen to be a passenger in a car with a distracted driver, you need to intervene with the driver to focus on driving safely.


3. Drive at a Safe Speed

One of the first things that cause you to revoke your driving license is the act of speeding. If you were to take a few seconds off the road, you might be in for an unpleasant incident the next moment.

As the terminology suggests, when you drive at high speeds, things can happen a little bit faster than you expect. The faster the vehicle is moving, the longer it takes for it to do your bidding when you apply the brakes. The sheer physics of a collision at high speeds should be enough deterrence. The transfer of energy is immaculate due to higher momentum, which can cause major injuries.

It is always beneficial to drive slowly and pre-empt yourself for any upcoming obstacles while driving. By driving slowly, you can easily control your car to safety when there are obstacles ahead. It gives you more time to react in unforeseeable situations. This also helps you to maintain a safe distance from the car in front.


4. Don’t Drink and Drive

Driving while being drunk is extremely dangerous and drivers with high blood alcohol content are at greater risk of car accidents, injuries and even death. Alcohol is water-soluble and is immediately absorbed in the bloodstream. This causes more blood to be supplied to the brain than to other organs. As a result, it will significantly impair brain function within minutes. This affects one’s attentiveness and cognitive ability to make quick decisions and reactions on the road.

Undoubtedly, drinking can cause an individual to become rather drowsy and sleepy. It affects your ability to make accurate and sensible judgment (basically you have zero sanity when you’re drunk). This is clearly not something desirable as car accidents are highly possible and you might not even reach your destination. Besides getting someone killed or badly injured, one will be charged with heavy penalties for drink driving and lose his/her driving license.


5. Give your Car Regular Check-ups

If you have a car, it can be common to ignore any type of maintenance unless something goes wrong. This is not a good practice and rather, you should regularly check your car – fundamental processes such as changing your oil, checking your tire pressure and getting scheduled inspections will keep your vehicle healthy and workable.

Cars consist of many wear and tear components, such as tyres, brakes, and other small components. Thus, regular check-ups with the car doctor are important to maintain it in control and healthy on the road.

Most car lovers already know how important regular check-ups are, but it’s still important to continue emphasising this factor for people who don’t consider themselves interested in how their car operates. A simple mechanical failure can cause the most cautious driver to get into an accident. This is why you should always keep your car in perfect working condition, for the safety of yourself and other road users.

These driving tips will definitely help to guide you in your driving journey! Henceforth, you can travel in a car safely with your friends and family!

At ETHOZ, you can rent our cars and travel around Singapore safely. Heading for car rental is also a good way to enjoy convenience and safety without the extra commitment of buying your own car.