PHV driver complains that many Singapore drivers “refused to give way” when he “signals to change lanes”

SINGAPORE: A full-time private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver recently took to social media to ask Singaporeans if they had noticed drivers’ temperaments nowadays.

“I’m a full time PHV driver, and many times when I signaled to change lanes, I was either greeted with a car that just refused to give way or would speed up to close the gap when I could filter into the lane safely,” the driver wrote on r/askSingapore on Saturday (May 4). 

“And I also realised drivers who drive big cars like Mercedes would love to hog the road. Do you encounter such drivers, or is it just me?”

“Driving in Singapore has gone downhill”

In the discussion thread, several Singaporean Redditors shared the same sentiment as the PHV driver, noting that many drivers nowadays act like they own the road, not bothering to give way to other cars and cyclists or even allowing pedestrians to cross safely at zebra crossings.

One Redditor stated, “Driving in Singapore has gone downhill, but it’s evident in all aspects of Singaporean life as well.”

Another Redditor commented, “… I refuse to trust drivers at zebra crossings. I just stand by the side and wait for them to stop before crossing. Half of them actually stop (Thank you), and the other half are imbeciles who just speed through.”

Some suggested solutions to counter drivers who refused to give way to others.

One Redditor explained, “I never expect drivers to slow down just to give way to me. It’s either you speed up to filter (which is very a very abstract concept to most SG drivers) or filter earlier so you do not encounter such drivers who do not give way.”

Another said, “You are the entitled one to think that people should give way to you when you signal to change lane. The rule is only change lane when it is safe to do so. If it’s not safe, don’t change.

Only the truly entitled think that indicating equals to I can change lane. Whatever the guy does in the lane that he is in, is his prerogative. Why must he let you change?”

Some also mentioned that while this behavior was common before, there has been a change after a major accident in Tampines.

One Redditor said, “I feel like after that major Tampines accident, I notice that road drivers are a little more patient. Not sure if it’s just me.”

On April 22, a six-vehicle pile-up occurred at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4, killing two, including a 17-year-old first-year student at Temasek Junior College. Several others were also injured in the collision.

Read related: ‘We are very lucky that both of them are alive,’ says man whose wife & son injured in Tampines car crash