SMS = Send Messages Safely?

New York Times has recently published the result of a study that "Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin" - the collision risk was 23 times greater than when not texting.

In Singapore, Section 65B of the Road Traffic Act covers texting while driving - as long as there is evidence to show that the motorist was holding onto the handphone with one hand, while using it to communicate. This is regardless of the position in which he was holding onto the handphone and the fact that a hands-free kit was also used is irrelevant. The various scenarios are clearly described:

Scenario B (SMS/MMS message)
Writing, Sending, and Reading SMS/MMS messages from someone, with or without earpiece, using one hand to hold on to the mobile phone and the other hand holding the steering wheel.

If you receive a text message while you are driving, do resist the urge to reply immediately especially when your vehicle is still in motion. Remember that the sender will call if it is an urgent matter. Drive safely.

COE Prediction - August 2009 1st Bidding Exercise

The COE supply squeeze (see my last post) is expected reduce quota by 10-15%; it may be up to 20% in the worst case. Thus, COE quota premium is expected to breach the S$20K mark very soon, especially for Category B.

I believe that LTA will also announce some tweaks to the algorithm for deriving the number of COEs for future years since the economy slowdown has created the vicious cycle of low scrap rate with high COE quota premium, resulting in ever-lowering quota if the current system remains unchanged.

The oversubscribed rate for the July 2nd bidding exercise was about 14% for Category A COEs, 35% for Category B COEs and 90% for Category E (Open) COEs. Although the demand for smaller cars is tapering, my prediction is that the quota premiums for all categories will raise in tandem with the news article in the local papers.

Prediction on July 29:
Category A: $17,000-18,000
Category B: $20,000-21,000

Verdict on August 5:
Category A: $13,658
Category B: $18,890

COE Supply Squeeze

A forecast on mid-year review of the COE supply was reported on the Straits Times today and it is bad news for dealers and motorists. The supply of COEs is expected to be squeezed by 10-15% with fewer vehicles being de-registered ahead of their COE expiry. Many motorists and businesses are stretching the usage of their current vehicles in this recession. The current cycle has already seen a reduction over the previous cycle but the dismay forecast will surely prop up the successful bid in the upcoming exercises. COE quota premium is expected to breach the S$20K mark very soon.

LTA had reached out to the motoring industry and will tweak the COE system to better meet the needs of the various stakeholders. I think that is a very challenge task since the objectives of the various stakeholders (buyers, trade associations for motorcars, motorcycles, goods vehicles, industrial vehicles, etc.) vary widely.

The rising cost of the COEs will be passed back to buyers and first-time buyers will feel the pinch as the lower cost makes may see the COE component of the car cost exceeds the car itself. The used car market will see some growth and I encourage motorists selling their cars to scout for better offers from dealers or direct buyers since the value of the used cars is also supported by the high COE quota premium.

Innovative Signs of the Times

LTA has just announced the Extension of New Road Safety Measures to More Locations. I have not personally driven over the triangles at the pilot sites so I will probably slow down wondering if the vertex will cause my car to rumble or slip. I used to ride a two-wheeler so painted areas on rainy days pose risk when cornering. Are the triangles painted with non-slip paint? I certainly hope so. Was a contest held to name this new sign? I must say that it has a creative name of Traffic Calming Marking (TrCM) ... and I want to suggest planting aromatic herbs along those stretches to complete the calming and therapeutic effect.


The second new safety sign is the cool Your Speed Sign (YSS). It is an electronic sign that displays the speed of a passing vehicle so that you will be more aware of your speed and consequently encourages you to keep to the limit. Gee, I think this new gadget is great as a calibrator. I would compare my speedometer reading to that of the YSS so it may become a distracter.

What do you think? Innovative Signs of the Times?

COE Prediction - July 2009 2nd Bidding Exercise

Although COE quota premiums posted strong increases across the categories for cars to end at their highest levels in over 12 months, the oversubscribed rate for the July 1st bidding exercise lowered from 24% to 18% for Category A COEs and from 41% to 35% for Category B COEs respectively when compared to the previous bidding exercise. The reduction in bids is a surprise since the time elapse from the last bidding exercise to the first one in July is THREE weeks.

It seems that resistance from the rising car prices is kicking in. The traffic at car showrooms should be dampen over the next two weeks. The one event that may sustain the demand is the CATS Classified Car-nival to be held on Sunday July 12 at the Singapore Expo.

My prediction is that the quota premiums for the next bid should remain flat or raise slightly. The only blip expected for Category B is when Ferrari's new distributor acts on the 120+ orders for the new model California convertible that were refunded from Hong Seh Motors, the previous distributor.

Prediction on July 9:
Category A: $14,000-15,000
Category B: $16,000-17,000

Verdict on July 22:
Category A: $15,291
Category B: $18,501