IF YOU ride a bike, there are six spots that you should take extra care on.

The Traffic Police (TP) has identified the spots - three expressway stretches and three street junctions - with the highest motorcycle accident counts.

Altogether, these spots saw 53 accidents in the one year between August last year and July.

In the number one deadliest expressway spot - on the Pan-Island Expressway towards Jurong, before the Bukit Timah Expressway exit - there were 13 accidents involving motorcycles.

Of these, two were fatal.

In one of them, Singapore Armed Forces regular Siti Nur Baidura Mohd Yusof, 22, was killed when she lost control of her bike. It skidded and she was thrown off.

Of the street junctions, two are in the Bukit Batok housing estate area, while the other is in the Ubi industrial area.

To prevent more accidents in these areas, the TP commander, Assistant Commissioner Ng Guat Ting, told The Straits Times that officers will be stepping up patrols at the six sites. She added that warning signs may be erected.

Motorcycle accidents and deaths have been the focus of the TP's attention as the numbers show no sign of letting up despite efforts such as safety campaigns.

In the first half of this year, 2,612 riders and their pillions were killed or injured in bike accidents, compared to 2,418 in the same period last year.

The increase takes place against the backdrop of a rising vehicle population.

The hotspots were identified by a special police taskforce whose aim was to curb motorcycle accidents and deaths.

What makes these spots so dastardly?

After site visits and observations, the Traffic Police have drawn some conclusions.

While there could be some structural elements at play - some of these spots are on downslopes or at bends - the biggest problem seems to lie with how drivers and motorcyclists behave.

For instance, motorists on Bukit Batok Road tend to speed on the straight stretch.

And according to the TP, motorists trying to turn right there can misjudge the speed of oncoming vehicles, and accidents may happen that way.

Then, on the PIE, tailgating occurs when there's heavy traffic. To make matters worse, motorcyclists may be tempted to speed up around the bend.

At the hotspot on the Central Expressway - after the Balestier Road entry - many vehicles are trying to merge in, while at the same time, the vehicles are trying to filter out to the PIE and Jalan Bahagia.

A moment's distraction can be disastrous.

AC Ng had one key message for motorcyclists and other motorists when they use these roads: be more aware.

Bikers must think safety and ride safely, and other motorists must help them by being 'alert and patient, and looking out for them on the roads'.

'Motorists must remember that the roads are not battlefields where they fight for road space,' AC Ng said.

Taxi driver T. Mohan wrote to The Straits Times' Forum page last week, urging the police to keep a closer check on motorcyclists who flout lane safety and weave in and out of traffic.

But AC Ng pointed out that the police could not be everywhere all the time.

She added: 'To make the roads safe, all users must play their part.'

joolin@sph.com.sg

tracysua@sph.com.sg