It hurts reading The Hurt Report

Below is a summarised findings of “The Hurt Report”, a report done in 1981 on the factors that contribute to motorcycle accidents. While it is 27 years old now, a lot of factors are still very familiar and relevant. I believe the biggest change over the nearly three decades is probably formal riding training and the mandatory use of helmets and insurance. Maybe less alcohol related accidents, but I would not bet on it. Drivers seem no better educated about motorcycles now than they were back then.

I wonder why this is not standard reading for motorcycle riding learners, and for that matter, motorcar driving learners. There are no comprehensive reports presented in the same manner for bicycles, but there are plenty of websites with accident statistics for bicycles for various regions. Here is one such site.

“The Hurt Report”

(AKA “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures”) A brief summary of the findings is listed below. To order the full report, contact:

National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia 22161
(703)-487-4600

and order:

Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures, Volume 1: Technical Report, Hurt, H.H., Ouellet, J.V. and Thom, D.R., Traffic Safety Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90007, Contract No. DOT HS-5-01160, January 1981 (Final Report)

Vol.I (The Main Report and Summary) is PB81206443 (~400 pages)
Vol.II (Appendix: Supplementary Data) is PB81206450 (~400 pages)
Either document is $42.95 plus $3.00 shipping. (circa 1990)

Summary of Findings

Throughout the accident and exposure data there are special observations which relate to accident and injury causation and characteristics of the motorcycle accidents studied. These findings are summarized as follows:

1. Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most often a passenger automobile.

2. Approximately one-fourth of these motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.

3. Vehicle failure accounted for less than 3% of these motorcycle accidents, and most of those were single vehicle accidents where control was lost due to a puncture flat.

4. In single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accident precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slideout and fall due to overbraking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.

5. Roadway defects (pavement ridges, potholes, etc.) were the accident cause in 2% of the accidents; animal involvement was 1% of the accidents.

6. In multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those accidents.

7. The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.

8. Deliberate hostile action by a motorist against a motorcycle rider is a rare accident cause. The most frequent accident configuration is the motorcycle proceeding straight then the automobile makes a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.

10. Intersections are the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicle violating the motorcycle right-of-way, and often violating traffic controls.

11. Weather is not a factor in 98% of motorcycle accidents.

12. Most motorcycle accidents involve a short trip associated with shopping, errands, friends, entertainment or recreation, and the accident is likely to happen in a very short time close to the trip origin.

13. The view of the motorcycle or the other vehicle involved in the accident is limited by glare or obstructed by other vehicles in almost half of the multiple vehicle accidents.

14. Conspicuity of the motorcycle is a critical factor in the multiple vehicle accidents, and accident involvement is significantly reduced by the use of motorcycle headlamps (on in daylight) and the wearing of high visibility yellow, orange or bright red jackets.

15. Fuel system leaks and spills were present in 62% of the motorcycle accidents in the post-crash phase. This represents an undue hazard for fire.

16. The median pre-crash speed was 29.8 mph, and the median crash speed was 21.5 mph, and the one-in-a-thousand crash speed is approximately 86 mph.

17. The typical motorcycle pre-crash lines-of-sight to the traffic hazard portray no contribution of the limits of peripheral vision; more than three-fourths of all accident hazards are within 45deg of either side of straight ahead.

18. Conspicuity of the motorcycle is most critical for the frontal surfaces of the motorcycle and rider.

19. Vehicle defects related to accident causation are rare and likely to be due to deficient or defective maintenance.

20. Motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are significantly overrepresented in accidents; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly underrepresented. Although the majority of the accident-involved motorcycle riders are male (96%), the female motorcycles riders are significantly overrepresented in the accident data.

22. Craftsmen, laborers, and students comprise most of the accident-involved motorcycle riders. Professionals, sales workers, and craftsmen are underrepresented and laborers, students and unemployed are overrepresented in the accidents.

23. Motorcycle riders with previous recent traffic citations and accidents are overrepresented in the accident data.

24. The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Motorcycle rider training experience reduces accident involvement and is related to reduced injuries in the event of accidents.

25. More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street riding experience was almost 3 years. Motorcycle riders with dirt bike experience are significantly underrepresented in the accident data.

26. Lack of attention to the driving task is a common factor for the motorcyclist in an accident.

27. Almost half of the fatal accidents show alcohol involvement.

28. Motorcycle riders in these accidents showed significant collision avoidance problems. Most riders would overbrake and skid the rear wheel, and underbrake the front wheel greatly reducing collision avoidance deceleration. The ability to countersteer and swerve was essentially absent.

29. The typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist just less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action.

30. Passenger-carrying motorcycles are not overrepresented in the accident area.

31. The driver of the other vehicles involved in collision with the motorcycle are not distinguished from other accident populations except that the ages of 20 to 29, and beyond 65 are overrepresented. Also, these drivers are generally unfamiliar with motorcycles.

32. Large displacement motorcycles are underrepresented in accidents but they are associated with higher injury severity when involved in accidents.

33. Any effect of motorcycle color on accident involvement is not determinable from these data, but is expected to be insignificant because the frontal surfaces are most often presented to the other vehicle involved in the collision.

34. Motorcycles equipped with fairings and windshields are underrepresented in accidents, most likely because of the contribution to conspicuity and the association with more experienced and trained riders.

35. Motorcycle riders in these accidents were significantly without motorcycle license, without any license, or with license revoked.

36. Motorcycle modifications such as those associated with the semi-chopper or cafe racer are definitely overrepresented in accidents.

37. The likelihood of injury is extremely high in these motorcycle accidents-98% of the multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of the single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% resulted in more than a minor injury.

38. Half of the injuries to the somatic regions were to the ankle-foot, lower leg, knee, and thigh-upper leg.

39. Crash bars are not an effective injury countermeasure; the reduction of injury to the ankle-foot is balanced by increase of injury to the thigh-upper leg, knee, and lower leg.

40. The use of heavy boots, jacket, gloves, etc., is effective in preventing or reducing abrasions and lacerations, which are frequent but rarely severe injuries.

41. Groin injuries were sustained by the motorcyclist in at least 13% of the accidents, which typified by multiple vehicle collision in frontal impact at higher than average speed.

42. Injury severity increases with speed, alcohol involvement and motorcycle size.

43. Seventy-three percent of the accident-involved motorcycle riders used no eye protection, and it is likely that the wind on the unprotected eyes contributed in impairment of vision which delayed hazard detection.

44. Approximately 50% of the motorcycle riders in traffic were using safety helmets but only 40% of the accident-involved motorcycle riders were wearing helmets at the time of the accident.

45. Voluntary safety helmet use by those accident-involved motorcycle riders was lowest for untrained, uneducated, young motorcycle riders on hot days and short trips.

46. The most deadly injuries to the accident victims were injuries to the chest and head.

47. The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention of reduction of head injury; the safety helmet which complies with FMVSS 218 is a significantly effective injury countermeasure.

48. Safety helmet use caused no attenuation of critical traffic sounds, no limitation of precrash visual field, and no fatigue or loss of attention; no element of accident causation was related to helmet use.

49. FMVSS 218 provides a high level of protection in traffic accidents, and needs modification only to increase coverage at the back of the head and demonstrate impact protection of the front of full facial coverage helmets, and insure all adult sizes for traffic use are covered by the standard.

50. Helmeted riders and passengers showed significantly lower head and neck injury for all types of injury, at all levels of injury severity.

51. The increased coverage of the full facial coverage helmet increases protection, and significantly reduces face injuries.

52. There is no liability for neck injury by wearing a safety helmet; helmeted riders had less neck injuries than unhelmeted riders. Only four minor injuries were attributable to helmet use, and in each case the helmet prevented possible critical or fatal head injury.

53. Sixty percent of the motorcyclists were not wearing safety helmets at the time of the accident. Of this group, 26% said they did not wear helmets because they were uncomfortable and inconvenient, and 53% simply had no expectation of accident involvement.

54. Valid motorcycle exposure data can be obtained only from collection at the traffic site. Motor vehicle or driver license data presents information which is completely unrelated to actual use.

55. Less than 10% of the motorcycle riders involved in these accidents had insurance of any kind to provide medical care or replace property.

So, it is taught in the Driving School!

Anyone who have read my previous post “Neither Man nor Machine” will know that I have been taking motorcycle lessons. It is good to know that the Riding Theory books actually acknowledges the existence of bicycles on the road, and teaches motorcycle riders how far to conduct themselves when riding near cyclists. This is because motorcyclists are meant to use the left lane, and are quite likely to encounter bicycle riders.

However, I had a rude shock the other day while attending one of the compulsory Riding Theory Lessons, the teacher was explaining one of the test questions about how to anticipate a cyclist’s actions when riding pass him, when he made a comment that cyclists are on the roads illegally, and should only cycle on cycling paths. I had a right mind to correct him, but I had not brought my proof with me, and wanted to get the lesson over with so I can get a stamp of attendance on my booklet.

So, there you go. They are passing on this misinformation in the driving schools, it is no wonder that we do encounter unreasonable motorists on the road.

I guess it is back to status quo for Singaporean cyclists after the trial of pavement sharing in Tampines. The roads are still to scary for many cyclists, drivers and pedestrians still complain, and there is not enough land in Singapore to build cycle paths. What else is new?

R.I.P. Arthur C. Clarke

R.I.P. Arthur C. Clarke (16 December 1917-19 March 2008)

While I have not been a big fan of Arther C. Clarke, I know that he has been a great influence on science fiction writing and entertainment. Like many great old British former-military personel, there is much to love about Arthur C. Clarke, his gift of mind and his no-nonsense attitude. Yet another Geek God has fallen, but he leaves us with his three laws:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

I would say that he lived to a ripe old age, but I suspect that he would have preferred to have gone after humans made their first contact with aliens.

Selling out.

It was not so long ago, that the sale of a massive telecommunication empire to a foreign investor, led to a military coup and the ouster of a government and its Prime Minister. The privacy and sovereignty of its telecommunication system and satellites was the reason the usurpers used to start the domino effect that led to the coup.

More recently, forays by the foreign investor into two telecommunication companies of another country, has caused its anti-monopoly agency to cry foul and demand that stakes in one of the companies have to be divested, naturally at a huge loss.

Of course, there are much more underlying motives that have led to the above situations. But the reason for lifting the stick is the same, national strategic assets should not be owned by foreigners. Even the least educated of one’s citizens can grasp that concept and raise their fists in defiance. Perhaps particularly the less educated citizens.

Having been successful in the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) business for many decades, Singapore has found itself in the situation that large nations, particularly the U.S.A and in Europe, are uncomfortable that extremely wealthier SWF from the Middle East and East Asia, their age old “enemies”, are attempting to buy up their strategic assets like ports and banks. Of course Singapore, being a loyal West-leaning country, and more transparent to boot, does not worry these big nations, who have to play a double standards game by welcoming the cash that Temasek Holdings brings, while turning away other bigger sharks.

It has caused Singapore to have to take the lead to instituting some sort of governance principles for SWF, in order to placate the West. Ironically, Temasek Holdings also claimed in another article in the Straits Times on the same day that it is not a SWF. So much for that policy then. Sovereign Wealth Fund Policy

In light of all of these events, I found it rather strange that not a sound was heard after Temasek Holdings announced its sale of Tuas Power to a China company. Sure it is not a sale to an SWF but to a corporatation, but it is a sale of a national strategic asset to a foreign company. It plans to sell the remaining power stations which powers 90% of the country. Sale of Tuas Power

Perhaps it is a gesture they have had to make in order not to appear to have double standards. “There, I have sold a national strategic asset to a foreigner, that gives me a right to buy yours.” A reason for the lack of comments could well be that Singaporeans are quite confident about the shrewdness of Temasek Holdings, and that the buyer must have been hoodwinked somehow. That would have been all well and good if Singapore Power did not announce a hike in its electricity tariffs a few short days after the announcement of the sale. Coincedence? I think not. Singapore Power Tariff Hike

Age of Conspiracy

Haha, it does seem that Paul Jacob, Deputy Political Editor for the Straits Times has read my blog. In his March 15, 2008 Thinking Aloud article, he refers to “rants”, “incredulous theories” and “conspiracy theories” regarding the escape of Mas Selamat. He is quoted “Then there are the conspiracy theories that he has been killed and all this is just a ruse to cover it all up; or that he’s been deliberately allowed to flee from his confines so that he can be tracked to his nest of terrorists vipers – and, of course, to that ultimate meeting he will so easily be able to set up with the biggest snake of all, Osama.”

Okay, maybe I am being a little presumptuous here, but finding first two theories together in the same paragraph is more than a little coincedental. You heard it here first, Paul Jacob, so if you become the scriptwriter for the upcoming Mas Selamat movie, do not forget me. And please, adding that last bit about Osama to over-sensationalise the theory in an attempt to discredit it, is very amateur.

Back to reality, though. I find it strange that Paul Jacob feels that we should not be blaming the government for the escape but should be blaming the culprit himself. Lets look at it this way, prisoners basically have two choices, face their sentence, or attempt to escape. It should come as no surprise to anyone that a prisoner harbours the thoughts of escape, it almost part of their job description. However, it is in the job description of prison guards not to let prisoners escape, so there must have been a lapse in the prison guarding situation.

One of the virtues that Singaporeans can be proud of in our country is its safety. We feel safe under this government and its civil servants protection. The government gets good mileage with trumpeting our low-crime status, with the media constantly reporting on the crime-ridden nature of our nearest neighbour Johor Bahru to make a contrast. Singaporeans who have experienced life elsewhere, as well as many foreigners, find Singapore a decent and safe place to raise families. This stems some of the brain drain, and attracts family-minded foreigners, always a good import.

Inevitably, people will comparing the escape of Mas Selamat to the recent and headline grabbing escape of Dave Teo from Mandai Camp with a rifle and ammunition, we find a few big differences. Firstly, Dave Teo was caught relatively quickly and before he could come to any harm. Having served in the Army, I can easily see how a soldier performing Guard duty can make off with his rifle and the few bullets. The surprise is that Dave Teo actually climbed out of the camp, instead of opening the gate with the key, when he was on sentry duty.

However, the circumstances of Mas Selamat’s escape just boggles the mind, the lack of explanations are glaring. Why soldiers are trampling through the jungle is a big mystery, the Straits Times perpetuating this possible smokescreen by digging out Commando experts to talk about jungle survival. Singapore is a concrete jungle, unless the government is completely sure that Mas Selamat does not have a single sympathiser or accomplice in Singapore, he will likely be hiding indoors waiting for the alert levels to drop, as they inevitably would as human society is not designed to be at high alert for very long.

A state of emergency and a total lock down of society in order to find this guy, and the resulting economic disruption is too high a price to pay, but that is not obvious to the casual thinker’s mind. I am also sure that law enforcement thinkers have searching methodologies that state that if an escapee is not recaptured in a certain number of hours of escape, he has likely found refuge and the only way to recapture him is by luck, or when he attempts to move again.

Our erstwhile efficient and reliable authorities have made a mistake of letting Mas Selamat escape, and their subsequent actions, while likely to be very sensible and justified, are not wholly understood by the general public and fuels speculation. We have no information except for our imaginations. Ultimately even full transparency of information and the recapture of Mas Selamat might not end all the conspiracy theories. We live in an age of being aware of propaganda, when we cannot trust the U.S. government when it wants to go to war with another country. Are we so innocent to think that our own government does not use any of those tools of manipulation, control and governance?

I hope Mas Selamat gets recaptured. Not to save the jobs of any minister or top civil servant, but to give the guys on the ground a break. The Police and Army personel on the ground, and the lorry drivers and bus drivers trying to make ends meet. And of course, to prevent a terrorist attack on our shores. Nothing would give Singaporeans insecurity as seeing a HDB block collapse like the World Trade Centre due to a terrorist act. In an uncertain world, if you are not safe at home, where are you safe?

Taxi rule not tackling the root of the problem.

Just wrote this to the ST Forum. While the haphazard lane changing of taxis is a danger to cyclists, I believe that improving the quality of taxi drivers is better than implementing predictable taxi stands. As a user of multiple modes of transport, I find that the new taxi ruling is poorly thought out and the reasoning weak.

Many Singapore taxi drivers are under qualified. Some are retrenched middle aged and elder workers, or hotblooded young drivers. These people used to be managers and businessmen, and their familiarity with the roads are suspect. The taxi driver’s license is a means to keep them self employed but that does not do the commuters any justice. Yes, the vast majority of them are good a their jobs, but I feel that 10% to 20% of them need, to be reconsidered because of their attitudes towards the safety of other road users, or to be familiarised with Singapore roads better.

“I REFER to the letter “LTA replies to feedback about new taxi rule” by Jeremy Yap, Acting Group Director, Vehicle and Transit Licensing, Land Transport Authority. He stated with regards to the new taxi stopping rules in the Central Business District (CBD) that “the Land Transport Authority (LTA) wishes to explain that the principal reason for the new rule is safety”.

I would like to ask if the LTA can furnish data about the levels of traffic accidents within the CBD, related to “haphazard lane changes by taxis along heavily used roads to pick up or alight passengers” and how this compares to the levels of traffic accidents outside the CBD because of the same reasons, measured against traffic accidents in general in both areas. If the reason to implement the rule is for safety, why is the safety on “heavily used roads” outside of the CBD not considered as well? Why is this new rule not implemented island-wide? The root of the problem is already be stated in the letter: “haphazard lane changing by taxis”. Perhaps the answer lies in taxi driver training instead. London black cab drivers go through years of training to qualify, surely we can aspire to that quality.

In Singapore’s tropical climate, we are frequently either drenched in rain or perspiration. The recent increased cost of hiring a taxi, together with this new inconvenience of using the taxi is, ruling it out as a means of transport for many, myself included. But we have few alternatives. Bus and MRT frequency, as well as station and stop distances, are sub-standard to New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo. We are left to resort to privately owned cars, causing the congestions that which the recent land transport policies are stated to reduce.”

R.I.P. Gary Gygax

R.I.P. Gary Gygax (July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008)

Thanks for turning us all into geeks. Together with J.R.R. Tolkien, Gary Gygax is probably one of the biggest influence to fantasy novels, movies and, without a doubt, games. 30 years after Dungeons & Dragons, computer games are still using Experience Points, Levels, Critical Hits, Fighters, Mages, Clerics, Rangers, Paladins, Elves, Orcs, Ogres, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, Dungeons, Dragons, Role-playing games and the list goes on and on.

Thanks for directly and indirectly shaping quite a large part of my life, and bringing me lots of fun. Thanks for inspiring me to pursue a career in my hobbies, and a lifelong pursuit of play. I hope you had fun too.

‘24′ in Singapore

Television viewers today are no strangers to intriguing conspiracies, and while we are in the middle of our very own unfolding drama with the escape of Mas Selamat, perhaps we can put a bit of a Hollywood spin to the story. With the screenwriter’s strike in the USA in the past months, perhaps some of them had decided to find some freelance work overseas to make ends meet.

Plot 1: What if Mas Selamat is already dead?
If Mas Selamat had somehow died in custody, due to illness or whatever other reasons, announcing his death in the hands of the Singapore government could have him being portrayed as a matyr. Singapore would then risk revenge attacks by his supporters.

To stave off this possibility, it is made to look like he has escaped, and at some point later, he would turn out killed by a law enforcement agent in some remote forest. This way, his death would be legitimatised and any mystique of matyrdom can be erased.

Plot 2: What if Mas Selamat is still in detention?
Seven years after 9-11, and with the bad PR on the Iraq war, it seems that the general public have become relaxed about terrorism. Mas Selamat’s escape and his portrayal as imminently dangerous to Singapore have focused everyone’s mind back to the fight against terrorism.

It would also serve to light a fire under the buttocks of the Police and Military leadership so that they do not let up on our fight against terrorism.

Plot 3: What if there is a bigger fish out there than Mas Selamat?
Perhaps the authorities have discovered that Mas Selamat was not the biggest fish they need to catch in their anti-terrorist net, that he could possibly lead them to more terrorists. With the modern technology we see in spy movies, perhaps a tracking device can be implanted in Mas Selamat without his knowledge.

Known for detesting incarceration, Mas Selamat would capitalise on a slight lapse in security to make his escape. With few upstanding Singaporeans willing to help him, he would have no choice but to find his former collaborators, and hence lead the authorities to them.

On a serious note: I think the escape of Mas Selamat has come as a shock to many Singaporeans. We are very used to our government to being efficient to a fault. We hope that our society is strong enough not to have our security personel infiltrated with terrorists and their sympathisers.

With Singapore’s history of racial riots in the 1960s and the more current global situation after 9-11, I would think that Mosques and Muslim organisations in Singapore will not be safe havens for the likes of Mas Selamat. But unfortunately, there remains many ways and places for such a fugitive to hide.

Mas Selamat is probably not imminently dangerous, he is very likely to be busy trying to survive and escape. Who knows, he might already be a spent force, so risking public panic makes it not worth declaring a state of emergency over him.

Someone on an internet forum said this very well. I hope Mas Selamat gets caught soon, so that all those Police and SAF personel do not have to keep doing extra duty.

Welcome to South East Asia, Singapore

Growing up in the 1980s, there were many things to be proud of Singapore. The place was orderly, with efficient clean public transport, well paved roads, manageable crime rate and racial harmony. 20 years later, a lot of the things we used to feel proud when compared with our neighbouring countries are starting to make life uncomfortable in Singapore.

We grew up chagrined by images of gridlock in Bangkok, and while Bangkok continues to be gridlocked, I definitely see an improvement in the traffic situation since they built their city rail transport, perhaps inspired by Singapore’s MRT system. And as our economy grows and the government allows more to fulfil their dreams of owning a car, the rush hour traffic gets worse. We used to be able to say “its just the CTE at the Braddell road exit”, but nowadays, a lot of the other expressways are slowing to a crawl, ERP or no ERP. I dread to go to town on the weekends, I have not done so in ages. Driving or taking the bus means getting stuck in traffic for at least half an hour between Suntec City and Orchard Road. While the trains are on time, they are overcrowded. Hopefully, a motorcycle will help in this situation.

The efficiency of buses is one problem that has always been there, but when the bus system goes private, and the private companies post yearly record earnings, one starts to wonder why. The bus companies continually ask for price increase, while pulling unprofitable routes, all these while stealthily reducing the bus frequencies.

The MRT system was built in its heydays as a prestige project as opposed to a transport necessity. It featured expensive modern stations while what we really need now is more frequent and basic stations. Look at the London Underground and Paris Metro, most of the suburban stations are simple concrete platforms with minimal or no staff, but their station frequency is close and the network is wide, the walk to the nearest station is always manageable. Try walking from one MRT station to another on a daily basis. Of course, Singapore will never be able to build any basic structure, everything needs to be an architectural icon. The transport operators need to get their act together before anyone can be convinced to give up their cars.

We used to complain about potholes on the roads in Malaysia, and privately feeling quite lucky that our government only needs to maintain a shorter stretch of roads. With increased road usage, the roads have deteriorated. I remember that in the past, when roads were repaired, long stretches of it was repaved at the same time. With growth of the economy, the roads have been repeatedly ripped up to install new cables and pipes, however, these are done in such uncoordinated manner that you can see the same stretch of roads ripped up repeatedly over a short period of time. And when they are patched up, only a small area is repaved, usually uneven to the road surface, so instead of potholes, we have speed bumps that sprout out everywhere, endangering motorcyclists and cyclists.

Low crime does not mean no crime, the police reminds us. But I cannot help but feel that crime has increased since the 1990s, especially against the elderly. Born and bred Singaporeans have a lot to lose, we have a comfortable life and a steady income and for the most part, crime does not pay. With the influx of low wage foreigners, we suddenly have a large group of individuals who may have less to lose, where crime might actually pay. They also have half a mind on their escape route, back to their large home countries where the arm of the law is not as long.

I will not park my bicycle out on the pavement, too many cases of bicycle thefts have occurred, with the police so helpless about that they give replies like, “why are you reporting this to the Police?” The standard answer on the local motorcycle forum to lost bikes is also similar, “good luck finding your bike, but I doubt it will be found.” You cannot blame them completely, but that reply is just indicative that such petty crimes against the underclasses are no longer on their list of worthwhile jobs to do.

We can be proud to wave our racial harmony flag to the world outside. The 1960s racial riots were still fresh in the minds of our parents, and while derogative names, stereotyping and suspicions remain, at least there is harmony. As more foreigners, even of the same racial roots as us, start to appear on our shores, I believe that the spectre of racial problems might resurface. Some of it are global issues, such as the so-called War on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian which have ripples throughout the world. Others are quite clearly cultural, Singaporean Chinese versus Mainland Chinese, Singaporean Tamils versus Indian Indians. The government have kept a lid on the large groups of foreign workers that throng certain parts of Singapore on weekends, and lets hope it stays that way.

Not too long ago, we pointed our fingers when terrorists captives have managed to escape from Filipino and Indonesian custody. Their lowly paid guards are so easily bribed. Their Police force is infiltrated by terrorists and sympathisers. Look where we are now. I think Singapore will have to go to the next regional security conference a little more humble and a lot more understanding. Were our guards bribed and our forces infiltrated or was it plain old incompetence? Only time will tell. Mas Selamat was caught once, and hopefully he will be caught again.

Yes, I am complaining about the state of Singapore, but I have a right to be complaining. I served my National Service, and I pay my taxes, the government and civil servants work for me, not exclusively but still. I have had to defend Singapore verbally on occasion while overseas, and one of the last line of defence is this. The only government a person has a right to complain about is his own, no one else has a right to complain about the Singapore government. Likewise, Singaporean should keep that in mind before they complain about neighbouring countries and their governments. For all of Dr. Mahathir’s faults, he was good for one thing: keeping PAS out of power. And all the internal bickering in Indonesia has kept its growth in check, and given Singapore the breathing room to surge ahead.

Singapore is not some tropical island west of Los Angeles, north of Perth and southeast of London, its in the middle of South East Asia, and its beginning to look the part again, after 40 years. Welcome back, Singapore.