PUBLISHED ONOctober 17, 2022 3:17 AMByClaudia TanGetting stuck in traffic is a bummer, but one motorcyclist might have just found a clever hack to save himself some time on the road.
His solution? Sticking red and blue decals on his white motorcycle, so it closely resembles those used by the traffic police.
The motorcyclist, who goes by Goh Yongwei, shared his nifty trick in a TikTok video posted on Saturday (Oct 15). In the video's caption, Goh cheekily referred to himself as a "TP (traffic police) wannabe".
Addressing a question he received about whether his decals were legal, the 30-year-old ice cream shop owner said: "It is fully legal and compliant, as long as you do not have the word 'police' or 'enforcement'".
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@yongwei92/video/7154323702761540865?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1[/embed]
Instead, Goh's motorcycle says he's a "senior bumper driver".
Goh also jokingly claimed that his motorcycle design has made Singapore's roads safer, as other drivers will "slow down" when they see him.
"And if you want to chiong lane, people will give way to you."
To prove his point, Goh included some dashcam footage of a BMW driver on the extreme right side of a road giving way to him, filtering to the left lane.
Speaking to AsiaOne, Goh said he chose those decals so that he'd be more "visible" on the road.
"I've been in around 10 [road] accidents in the past three years," he revealed.
"Somehow I just get hit often, even though my bike and helmet are white, and I’m very visible."
He shared that he added the decals two years ago, after buying them online. Regarding their legality, Goh said he has ridden next to traffic police officers and hasn't gotten into any trouble thus far.
Goh's motorcycle decals won the praise of netizens, who lauded his ingenuity.
One netizen even called him a "champion" for 'defeating' a BMW driver.
Speaking of creative vehicle modifications, a wheelchair user made headlines back in 2015 for his scooter, which was created by grafting the rear bumper of Japanese Suzuki Swift hatchback to the handles and front wheel of an Italian Piaggio scooter.
Ling Teck Mong, who lost the use of legs in 1981, came up with the idea in 2009 after his scooter became too expensive to maintain.
The modified scooter was built by local motorcycle workshop Ban Hock Hin, and cost $18,000.
Last January, a 34-year-old man was arrested for his suspected involvement in a case of impersonating as a police officer and theft.
The man had identified himself as a police officer and asked a victim at Rowell Road to surrender his mobile phone to him on the pretext of conducting checks.
The man was later arrested.
While it is unclear if Goh is breaking the law in this case, it is an offence to impersonate a public servant under Section 170 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224.
The offence of personating a public servant carries an imprisonment term which may extend to two years, or fine, or both.
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claudiatan@asiaone.com
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