Bad habit of tailgating is the most likely cause of unbelievable 7-car pile-up on TPE near Jalan Kayu

On Tuesday morning, a 7-car accident took place along the Tampines Expressway (TPE), heading in the direction of the Seletar Expressway (SLE) and before the Jalan Kayu exit. The suspected culprit of the multi-car pile-up is tailgating, a terrible driving habit that Singaporeans need to nip in the bud.

The accident was almost unbelievable in its proportions – 7 cars literally piled on top of one another. A video of the pile-up was circulating online and on car WhatsApp groups on Tuesday morning, but it is no longer available.

Photos of the accident were also being shared by car groups on Facebook:

None of the drivers have been reported as injured, but the Land Transport Authority (LTA) had their hands full, as the accident caused a major delay in morning traffic. They kept citizens in the loop via Twitter, tweeting updates at regular intervals.

Accident on TPE (towards SLE) before Jalan Kayu Exit. Avoid lane 1

— LTATrafficNews (@LTAtrafficnews) October 23, 2018

Accident on TPE (towards SLE) before Jalan Kayu Exit with congestion till Tampines Rd Exit. Avoid lane 1

— LTATrafficNews (@LTAtrafficnews) October 23, 2018

Heavy Traffic on TPE (towards SLE) before Jalan Kayu Exit

— LTATrafficNews (@LTAtrafficnews) October 23, 2018

Car group members and other netizens were convinced that the big bad habit of tailgating caused the 7-car pile-up:

Tailgating while driving not only causes accidents, it has also been used as a tactic to avoid paying at carparks. People drive as close to the car in front of them as it exits a car park, hoping to evade detection and therefore parking fees. The Housing and Development Board has installed a much more efficient Tailgating Detection System (TDS) in its car parks, which uses video analytics to identify tailgating vehicles in real time.