Traffic Statistics (January - December 2006)

2006 saw an overall increase in the number of road traffic accidents on Singapore’s roads. The table below shows the breakdown of the road traffic accidents resulting in injury or death in 2006 as compared to 2005.

The table below shows the breakdown of road accident casualties in 2006 as compared to 2005.

Table above showed that motorcyclists and pillion riders continued to be the most vulnerable group of road users. They comprised 53.7% of the 190 total road accident fatalities in year 2006 compared to 54.9% of the 173 total road accident fatalities recorded in year 2005.

The total number of motorcyclists killed in 2006 increased as compared to 2005; a total of 91 motorcyclists were killed in 2006 as compared to 81 motorcyclists killed in 2005. Motorcyclists between the ages of 20 to 29 were the most vulnerable group, which could possibly be attributed to this group having less riding experience on the road, as well as having a higher propensity to take risks (for e.g., speeding, drink riding, etc.) on the roads.

Pedestrians remained the second most vulnerable group of road users in 2006. There was one more death in 2006 (42 persons killed) as compared to 2005 (41 persons killed). Among the 42 pedestrians killed, elderly pedestrians aged 60 years and above were still a major concern, as they made up about half the pedestrian fatalities in 2006, as shown in the table below.

Drink-Driving

A total of 3,733 persons were arrested for drink-driving in 2006, as compared to 3,650 persons arrested in 2005.

The number of persons arrested for drink-driving accident cases fell from 610 cases in 2005 to 581 cases in 2006. With heightened education and enforcement efforts in 2007, Traffic Police (TP) hopes to see further improvement in this area.

Speeding

There was an increase in speed-related fatal and serious injury accidents in 2006 compared to 2005. Speed-related fatal accidents increased by 29.4%, from 51 cases in 2005 to 66 cases in 2006, while speed-related serious injury accidents increased by 125.0 %, from 12 cases in 2005 to 27 accidents in 2006.

Speeding remained one of the key causes of accidents in 2006. A total of 45,096 summonses were issued for speeding in 2006, registering a decrease of 12.9% compared to 2005 (51,795 summonses). The decrease could be mainly attributed to the change in our enforcement strategy. Much resource was diverted to ensure greater police presence on the roads to deter motorists from flouting traffic rules. The public is also increasingly aware of the deployment of Police Speed Laser Cameras (PSLC) through the Traffic Police website and radio.

While the majority of motorists do keep within the legal speed limits, it is TP’s wish that all road users will abide by traffic rules at all times whether the police are present or not. Motorists who ignore road safety and indulge in speeding are only putting themselves and other road users at great risk.

Red-Running

The number of red-running violations decreased by 16.4% from 15,582 in 2005 to 13,020 in 2006. The number of fatal and injury accidents resulting from red-running violations increased by 65.6% from 273 cases in 2005 to 452 cases in 2006.

CONCLUSION

As the human and vehicle populations in Singapore steadily increase over the years, we can expect a higher traffic accident rate, if road users continue to be reckless and negligent. While enforcement remains a necessary deterrence, what is going to make a sustainable impact on road safety is a change in the mindset of road users to one that embraces safety consciousness, that eschews socially irresponsible driving behaviours such as speeding and drink driving, and that promotes gracious sharing
of our roads. TP will continue its relentless efforts to spread road safety messages and educate our road users to ensure safe and enjoyable journeys on the roads for all.