Tuesday, 17 April 2007

My recent letters in The Straits Times newspaper

THE STRAITS TIMES INTERACTIVE ST FORUM

March 31, 2007
Will vanity plates be easy to decipher?
I WAS dismayed to read that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is introducing personalised vehicle number plates.

While cameras at gantries are able to capture the alphanumeric characters, the move would make it difficult for motorists to record the vanity-plate details of offending motorists, such as hit-and-run drivers.

I hope that LTA will enlighten the public as to how it will overcome this problem, and make the number plates easy to decipher, remember and jot down.

Winston Ho Wing Long




THE STRAITS TIMES INTERACTIVE ST FORUM

April 17, 2007
What to do should you be involved in a collision

IT IS unfortunate that a dispute over a minor car collision resulted in grievous bodily harm recently ('Man badly hurt after traffic row with cabby'; ST, April 12).

To help prevent such incidents from happening, here are some pointers for motorists involved in minor road accidents:

· Record the other vehicle's licence-plate number, colour, make and model.

· Note the time and place of the accident.

· A camera to take some photos or securing witnesses' contact details would be helpful.

· If you can, exchange particulars with the other driver, but do not go out of the way to do so if the other party is uncooperative.

· Most importantly, remain calm. All cars are insured. Let the insurance companies sort out the matter.

· Make a police report only when there is bodily injury.

Dents and scratches should not be fussed over, as used cars are usually exported for sale overseas, and such dents do not affect the resale value. At most, just bear with them.

Winston Ho Wing Long