On the 20 December 2014, 7 riders from NTU
and NTU alumni reported to SSDC to embark on a course that was unforgettable.
Contradictory to many people’s belief that safety course would be full of
theories; SSDC has proven to the participants that this course is full of
action and fun.
The day began with Instructor Ali and Imam
giving us on the statistic of the number of accident, the fatality rate and
cause of accident involving riders. It was a very brief session that lasted
only 30 minutes, however it has made us realize how important and vulnerable we
are on the road.
We then proceeded to level 5, where
Instructor Ali introduced some pre-ride check and technique in lifting up a
bike. As a P-plate myself, I was astonished at how ignorant I was, and thank to
Instructor Ali, I have learn many pre-ride check that was previously not taught
by anyone.
After much talking, the riders got onto
their respective bikes and began the action-filled course. It was unforgettable
as the participants were able to practice various cornering technique such as
lean in, lean out, and lean with in figure 8 and crank course. It is often that
we hear and see such techniques on theory book while preparing for our theory
test, but how often would we have the opportunity to learn it properly and feel
the difference?
After cornering techniques, we were exposed
to “fish-tailing” while doing emergency brake. Fish tailing in normal
circumstances is very dangerous as we may lost control of our bike and result
in accident. Therefore, we were all quite hesitant to try it. However, with the
patience the instructors, we were able to practice and recover our bikes from
fish tail. It was really exciting and where else could we do this safely and
without hurting our tyres except at SSDC?
The most enjoyable activity of the day
would be the off-set slalom which Instructor Ali set up with cones that really
test the cornering skills we have learn earlier in the day. To fuel up the excitement,
Instructor Ali and Iman were chasing behind our back while we were doing our
course.
The Advancing Safety Riding Course was a
success and it provides the opportunity to interact with instructors, practice
our skills and learn many techniques.
Speaking from own experience, it would have
been disastrous if I did not attend this course as I had my own fish tail
experience when a van cut into my lane. It was the knowledge and instinct and
probably some muscle memory that allowed me to recover my fish tail and evaded
the accident.
Lastly, I would like to thank SSDC and most importantly Mr Ali and Mr Imam for your guidance throughout the course!
Kua Yew Chuan
NRC 9th Exco Member
