Matthew Robert McQuinn, 27
He threw his body in front of his longtime girlfriend, Ms Samantha Yowler, and her brother Nick, shielding them from the bullets that took his life.
Ex-serviceman Jon Blunk, 26
He threw his body in front of his longtime girlfriend, Ms Samantha Yowler, and her brother Nick, shielding them from the bullets that took his life.
Ex-serviceman Jon Blunk, 26
He pushed his girlfriend, Ms Jansen Young, 21, to the floor after recognising the gravity of the situation. Ms Young said he was shot to death while protecting her.
Jarell Brooks, 19
He stepped forward to help Ms Patricia Legarreta, 25, and her two children escape after they got separated from her boyfriend during the shooting. Both Mr Brooks and Ms Legarreta were shot but survived.
Alex Teves, 24
He pushed his girlfriend, Ms Amanda Lindgren, to the floor to shield her when bullets began flying in the theatre. "He was gonna hit the floor himself, but he never made it," said his aunt.
(TODAY, 23 July, page 8, "Real superheroes in life and death".)
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Hey LTA, it's a no-brainer: Get rid of the all-red buffer!
I had earlier concurred with TODAY letter-writer Michael Loh on the inadvisability of having right-turning motorists "pause" before the right-turn green arrow comes on at road junctions (my blog entry on 17 July). We saw it as a dangerous practice.
I am glad someone else has the same view (TODAY, 23 July, page 15). He goes further in explaining why those few seconds of "pause" may actually encourage oncoming drivers to jump the red light...
Traffic lights: Flashing amber, timer help motorists
From Henry Tan Seng Lee
I refer to the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) letter "Sign alerts motorists to change in traffic light timing" (July 10).
Speeding to beat the red light when the lights turn amber is already common among motorists. Countdown timers that come on, say, three seconds before the red light would not make matters worse.
In fact, it should improve motorists' reactions, as a timer is more consistent than a sudden change of lights.
Humans generally act better with better information, and it is hard to understand why a timer cannot be synchronised with a dynamic traffic system.
Another method which seems to work well for relatively long stretches of road is the advance flashing amber light used along a stretch of Holland Road.
It has been so cleverly set that a motorist passing the light inevitably meets a red light at the junction ahead. Motorists soon learn that it is futile to beat the red light once the advance amber light starts flashing.
The LTA should consider this for other roads.
The all-red buffer, though, is misplaced. Holding traffic for a few more seconds to permit safe passage for motorists who jump traffic lights only emboldens such acts.
These offenders have the mistaken belief that it is safe, though illegal, to do so.
Eventually, this bad habit will take up these few seconds and we will be back to square one. The increasing number who beat the red light may well be a consequence of the all-red buffer.
The LTA should instead use methods that discourage this bad habit.
Giving motorists ample information and time to act when they approach a junction, backed by strong enforcement, is the best way forward.
A combination of the countdown timer and the advance flashing light should improve our motoring experience.
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Try this brain teaser...
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