LTA wants to help big bus drivers eliminate blind spots

Guidelines and standards for large buses will be reviewed by The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a bid to aid drivers in observing blind spots better.

The announcement by the transport authority comes a day after a coroner's inquiry into the death of a toddler at a cemetery in Choa Chu Kang suggested to review the placement and design of blind spot mirrors for buses. 

An LTA spokesman the English daily spoke to cited it has noted the coroner's comments, and will observe if existing guidelines need to be improved after studying the details of the case.

All vehicles have to comply with LTA requirements to be registered for use on the road while some buses already possess additional blind spot mirrors.

Bus operators have also acknowledged that more can be done to tackle the problem, reported The Straits Times. For example, Wong Ann Lin, Chairman of Singapore School Transport Association (SSTA), would like to see camera systems installed on all of its members' buses, and revealed he has met a government agency a fortnight ago to discuss funding.

The system would have cameras inside and outside the bus, in addition to a function that tracks school children on board. He acknowledged smaller operators would not be able to afford such systems on their own, but believes buses will be safer if the technology can be installed.

Mr. Phillip Peh, General Manager of Tong Tar Transport Service, cited different manufacturers have different specifications. He also suggested installing additional CCTV or extra mirrors as some buses have areas that are very difficult to see. Currently, 60 buses in Tong Tar's fleet have been fitted with cameras which allow drivers to look at the sides of the vehicle in real time.