I know it’s not a Singapore-only affliction, but I’m going to talk about this in the context of Singapore today because, I think, all the taxi drivers and bus drivers must have gone to the same driving school. You can also throw the taxi and bus drivers from Madrid and Suzhou into that mix (that must be a rather large driving school)!
For those of you not familiar with it, the “speed and slam” method is when a driver is stuck in traffic/on a side street/moving between speed bumps and they decide to speed up to as quickly as they can possibly go before slamming on the brakes to avoid a collision or damage to the car. This seems to be the chosen method of driving for taxi drivers in most of the places I have lived. I do have to say one good thing for New York….the taxi drivers there (for the most part) did not subscribe to the “speed and slam” method. I don’t fully understand the reasoning behind this phenomenon, nor do I understand the drivers’ rationale for doing it. All I know is I have been victim to the nausea that ensues through the “speed and slam” method many, many times. I have also fallen (more than 1 time) on a bus that was driven by a “speed and slam” driver. These people create hazards for other drivers and their own passengers.
“Speed and slam” drivers should be made to go back to driving school, or, at the least, take a driving test again. These people drive for a living, you’d think they have the common sense or courtesy to drive at a more uniform pace and to hit the brakes with a gentle foot. NOOO!! They speed and slam their way through traffic and side streets all the time. I think more times than not I have had a taxi or bus driver that subscribed to the “speed and slam” method. Many of them even take turns at a breakneck pace! This is really an epidemic in countries around the world.
I am a firm believer in people having to take a driving test at certain milestones throughout their lives. People who drive for a living should be forced to take them more often. This will keep bad drivers off the road, or, at the least, make them aware of their bad driving and may make them more conscious of how nauseating their driving can be to their passengers. This is especially true for bus drivers who very often have passengers that are standing up, and holding on for their lives! “Speed and slam” needs to be added to the driving violations lists of all countries, and the police have to enforce it. If it’s something that these people can be fined for, they’ll stop. I have no idea why it began in the first place!!
365 Things That Annoy Me! 