LCP (APF) Mohd Arief has been passionate about bikes ever since he was a little kid. After 6 years of riding, the recently married 25-year-old has been involved in 12 accidents, sustained broken bones, minor abrasions, and yet continues to hit the road.

During his National Service stint as a Coast Guard, he came across countless unusual encounters, and even some dead bodies. “I guess my time during NS mentally prepared me for what was to come in AETOS.” 

“As AETOS Outriders, one of our duties is to attend to any accidents or breakdowns on any major expressways in Singapore. We are usually the first ones on scene, and we’re responsible for diverting traffic from the accident scene with our bikes and blinker lights. Stationary vehicles on highways can be potentially dangerous as vehicles are travelling at high speeds. We are their so-called ‘first line of defence’.”

…THOSE WHO EXPRESS GRATITUDE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, BUT THEY MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A HERO

Could you share your most memorable incident while on duty?

On 11th March, I was activated to an accident scene along the BKE. When I was reaching, my eyes were instantly drawn to the 2 blue tents by the road shoulder. I remember thinking to myself, “Jialat, this one must be really bad.” A van had ploughed through a group of motorcyclists who were seeking shelter from the rain. The Traffic Police (TP) requested for my help in handling the fatalities as the ambulance brought the 6 injured to the hospital.

I think this incident is probably one that would stick with me for a long time. I was thinking, it could have been any one of us. I can’t imagine having to attend to any one of my friends or colleagues; it would be devastating.

Define one moment in your career you felt like you were actually making a difference.

I once attended to an incident along Kranji Expressway (KJE), where a middle-aged man was involved in a collision. He was sprawled on the floor, unable to move. I used my thighs to support his head till the paramedics arrived, as he complained that his neck and back were really painful. When the paramedics came, they commended me, saying that any careless movement would have aggravated his spinal injury. This was one of the times I felt that I really made a difference!

Would you recommend this job to your friends?

Being an AETOS Outrider combines both my passion for bikes and work flexibility. We risk our lives every day to ensure the public’s safety, and those who express gratitude are few and far between, but they make you feel like a hero. If you’re thinking of joining AETOS, I will ask you this, “Are you daring enough?” Behind the glamour of riding a nice and powerful bike comes much discipline and hard work, but in the end, it is all definitely worth it.