Statistics revealed at the launch of the Use Your RoadSense 2021 campaign reveal a decade-long improvement in road safety in Singapore, but one statistic did take a dramatic downturn for the worse

SINGAPORE

The Singapore Traffic Police has revealed that safety on our roads have been steadily improving. In 2020, there were a total of 85 people killed in traffic accidents. While still a cause for concern, the overall number of fatalities on Singapore roads steadily decreased over the last 10 years. In 2010, Singapore recorded 193 traffic accident-related fatalities, and by 2019 it had fallen to 118.  

While the improved figures of 2020 were partially attributed to the reduction of movement due to the Covid-19  pandemic, Singapore’s Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development also noted, “the overall road safety trends are promising. These outcomes reflect the collective efforts of TP and its partners, their measures to encourage road safety and graciousness; as well as the increasing road sense exercised by road users.”

He was speaking at the virtual launch of the Use Your RoadSense 2021 a campaign launched yesterday aimed at encouraging road users to practise good road sense and to use our roads safely.

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The livestream of the launch is still viewable on Facebook, and includes the results of a three-year study on perceptions of road safety by local drivers, discussions by various industry experts and interactive online games.

Some interesting statistics that were revealed include the fact that 71 percent of drivers polled admit to speeding up to get through a traffic junction when the light changes to amber, and 31 percent actively admit to be ‘not being gracious’ while on the roads.

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Also documented was the fact that about half of traffic accident fatalities involved the elderly pedestrians jaywalking across roads. Observations over the three-year period also noted that 51 percent of the elderly never checked for traffic while crossing the road at zebra crossings.

Another startling statistic was that fatalities from drink-driving increased by a staggering 86 percent in 2020. 

Dr Faishal outlined and shared that the Traffic Police will continue in its efforts to engage the public on road safety and graciousness, but the modes of some campaigns have changed.“Because of the pandemic, the Traffic Police has also pivoted from physical to virtual engagements. An example was that in May this year, the Singapore Road Safety Council and TP co-organised the Singapore Road Safety Month, launching a series of road safety videos on speeding and red-light running,” he said.

There’s more to see on the campaign’s Facebook page, but in the meantime, remember to drive safely at all times.

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