Why Singaporeans should stop risking their lives to catch public transport

Wednesday 1 July 2015

It is undeniably a natural instinct for us to chase after the public transports most of the times. 
However, are they worth risking our lives?

If you are not one of those who dashes across the road just to catch a bus or MRT train, then you must have seen how many people actually risk their lives often in order not to be (I assume) late.
Lately, I have seen so many people doing just that - so many that I have to blog about it.
Ever since I've started on my internship a few months back, I noticed on a daily basis how the pedestrians around me tend to dash across the roads just to catch a bus - or simply saying, some are just (i'm sorry to put it this way) "impatient" to wait for the traffic to clear. I've noticed that not only working adults - but students (especially), and (occasionally) elderly do so. It is a definite that being late for work or school can leave our bosses and teachers a bad impression of us, but are they really worth it? 
Being a student, I have to admit that sometimes it can be a very fearful situation to be late for school in terms of punishment or whatever consequence there may be. Whereas as a current intern, I am also able to understand exactly why the working adults try not to be late. However, at times, it is just our natural instinct to chase after the buses or MRT trains. 
Nevertheless, I honestly feel that by risking our lives and dashing across the roads, where cars can be driving at a fast speed,  is totally not worth it. You may think that you were lucky to avoid them on time, but what about "what if"? 
The recent accidents that occured - be it in Singapore or overseas - has taught me that life is definitely unpredictable. Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone. What if (touchwood) the cars were unable to stop on time? 
It is also scary to imagine how dashing across the roads can also possibly cause further harm to others on the road especially if the car(s) swerved, in hope to avoid running over the pedestrian. 
Frankly speaking, I can't imagine losing my life because of any fear for the consequences of being late, or just to catch a public transport. Being late is like a mistake you can learn from and make up for, but losing your life takes away that chance to learn from your mistake. It takes away everything. What comes next would be the never-ending tears of sorrow from your loved ones.  I definitely do not want that.
If you can afford the time to catch the next bus or train (or be a few minutes late), why not? Hold back your instinct to dash across the road and kick away this bad habit of risking your life to avoid being late. You can always find ways to fix your punctuality, but you can't find your way back to life if you lose it. You can be lucky, but like I mentioned, not all the time.
The least you can do is to practice good punctuality habits. (But sometimes, it is unavoidable to be late due to certain circumstances) 
You can start by arriving at your bus-stop or MRT station earlier, so that you won't have to worry about being late - and of course, practice a good habit of crossing the road in a proper manner safely.

Everyday, my heart drops each time I see pedestrians risking their lives across the roads. They seem to cross without hesitations that even if I wanted to stop them, it's impossible. Rather than shaking my head at them, I often find myself being worried for them. I truly hope that these people will actually stop to think before they dash across the roads and think of the possible consequences.
The post title may say Singaporeans, but I think that this applies to everyone in general, even the foreigners.
If you are one of the pedestrians who often risk their lives to catch the public transport by instinct or because you're running late... 
Stop and think again. 
It is better late than sorry.

 Now, don't forget to let your loved ones know that you care! Always remind them to be cautious when they are crossing the roads and to keep a lookout for their own safety everyday!