Humans Aren't Cargo

 Number of notices issued on the rise, but other violations have fallen: LTA ST, Published on Oct 26, 2013 KEEPING TO THE LIMIT: While most lorry loads keep within the designated passenger loads, an increasing number are violating the maximum limit. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG GOING DOWN: Unsafe practices, such as these workers sitting atop a pile of cargo on a lorry (above) in 2009, have dipped since new laws were passed. -- ST FILE PHOTO By Jalelah Abu Baker   THE number of lorry drivers caught carrying too many workers on their vehicles is on the rise, going by latest figures provided by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). There were 559 notices issued to drivers for carrying too many passengers on lorry load decks for the first eight months of this year alone, surpassing the number of notices issued for the whole of last year. There were 429 notices issued last year, a jump of more than eight times from the 51 in 2011. Since September last yea...

ST, Published on Oct 17, 2013  By Daryl Chin And Maryam Mokhtar A TOTAL of 16 men were taken to two hospitals after an accident along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) between a car and a lorry last night. The Singapore Civil Defence Force was alerted to the accident, which happened before the Jurong Town Hall exit in the direction of the city, at 8.56pm. The first of four ambulances arrived within five minutes after receiving the call, and no critical injuries were observed on site, an SCDF spokesman said. Of the 16 casualties, four were taken to the National University Hospital, and the rest to Alexandra Hospital. All of them were conscious when they left the scene, the spokesman added. The Straits Times understands that most of the men injured are workers travelling in the lorry. One of the workers, who was taken to Alexandra Hospital, said they were being ferried home after work when the accident happened. Just last month, 17 people were...

ST,  Published on Oct 18, 2013 The driver of the SUV involved in Wednesday night's accident on the AYE is reported to be a Mr Tan. He was quoted as saying that the lorry had slowed down without warning and he could not brake in time. As of yesterday, 14 of the 16 injured workers have been discharged from hospital. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE  THE driver of a black sport utility vehicle (SUV) that rear-ended a lorry on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) on Wednesday night has been arrested for drink driving, the police said yesterday. The accident, which happened just before the Jurong Town Hall exit, left 16 men who were in the lorry injured. They were all workers from Hypex Engineering, which was ferrying 20 of them back to their dormitory in Jurong. Mr Ng Cheow Teck, the company's operations manager, said the black SUV had collided with the right rear side of the lorry, which caused it to skid and turn over. While the workers at the back of ...