SINGAPORE – Where can you sing or cry without receiving judgment?

Do it on a public bus and you risk being filmed and shamed on social media. Since the new transit conduct rules took effect on Sept 23, you might even cop a fine of $500 for disruptive behaviour on a public bus.

Do it at your open-plan office desk and your colleagues will think you have lost your mind.

If you can avoid awkward eye contact with fellow motorists at traffic junctions, the car cabin remains one of the last true private sanctuaries outside the home where you can decompress.

Screaming in the car is the urban motorist’s equivalent of yelling at the sea. It can be cathartic, releasing the built-up tension of a relentless workday.

After all, there is a good chance that the drivers in the next lane are doing something similar or wishing that they could.

The car cockpit is the mobile equivalent of a restroom stall, only better. There is almost no chance of a co-worker overhearing or, worse, harmonising like a bad a cappella group.

With the windows up, other road users will not hear a single off-key note.

Electric vehicles (EVs), at least some of the models from Chinese brands, even have karaoke apps preloaded into their infotainment systems, complete with optional Bluetooth microphones for maximum effect.

Research into human well-being suggests that people need a “third place” – a refuge beyond home and the workplace. This is especially true in a dense city-state like Singapore. And this is where they can mentally reset and reduce stress.

While neutral spaces such as community gardens or hawker centres offer brief moments of relief, the car c...