Dear irresponsible Personal Mobility Device (PMD) users.
I have one simple Singlish phrase for you.
Help lah.
I can’t sound of exact numbers, but if you search “PMD” in our search bar it’s probably one of the longest page searches on the site.
We even reported another PMD related accident as recently as last week.
In fact, even the Government has had enough and we might now get a permanent ban on all PMDs.
The B Word
Yes, even for you, responsible PMD reader over there.
Everyone would be affected by the ban.
Even Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary had to tell us to be “extra responsible and mindful of others” on 7 October.
He added that the Ministry of Transport (MOT) is reviewing plans to improve safety on the usage of PMDs as well.
Which really should just be people being more mindful.
Heck, even the LTA has stepped in to try and identify hotspots for PMD accidents. The fact that there are even hotspots for these things scares me.
Dr Janil mentioned that the possibility of new towns having a separate path for pedestrians, roads and paths for PMDs and bicycles is likely.
For now though, implementing something like that could take years.
“Meanwhile, we have to make a decision on where to allow PMDs to be used, other than on dedicated paths for PMDs and bicycles – on footpaths, or on roads, or not at all until the town is ready?”
The Transport Ministry will also revisit plans announced in August to strengthen public path safety and reduce PMD-related fire risks.
If for some reason, you still think PMD related accidents aren’t an issue, let me show you another word.
The S-word.
Statistics of Accidents
Numbers always make things look scarier.
From 2017 to 2019, the number of accidents relating to PMDs on a public path added up to 228.
32 cases involved major injuries, such as concussions or fractures.
This is just the tip of the iceberg.
In a slightly more infamous case, a 65-year-old woman was put in coma after colliding with a PMD, where she passed away on 25 September.
Dr Janil offered the Government’s condolences to Madam Ong’s family and said the PMD involved in the accident was used illegally.
In the first half of this year, there were 49 fires related to PMDs. That’s an average of two per week, folks.
That’s an absurdly high number, considering there were a total of 52 cases last year. Do the maths.
Speaking of fires, there were at least eight residential fire cases relating to PMDs within the last three months.
One of it even killed a man in Bukit Batok.
Low-key demanding you to take this seriously, by the way.
Safety Measures
If you’re one of these PMD users, just take extra care going about your business during this period. I wouldn’t want to garner any bad attention.
Slow down if you see quite a few people on the same path as you. You could save yourself from a nasty accident.
Don’t modify your PMDs for fear of exploding batteries too, also for the simple fact that it’s illegal.
Lastly, for those of us who don’t own one, take care when walking outside. Triple check, quadruple check your path if you must.
Better be safe than sorry.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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