Fewer Road Fatalities but Increase in Elderly Pedestrian and Motorcyclist Accidents in 2019

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While there were fewer fatal road traffic accidents in 2019, there was an increase in accidents involving elderly pedestrians and motorcyclists.

According to the Annual Road Traffic Situation 2019 report from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the number of fatal accidents hit a record low, dropping 3.3 percent to 116 cases in 2019, compared to 120 cases in 2018.

On the other hand, the number of fatalities dropped 5.6 percent from 124 in 2018 to 117 in 2019.

The Straits Times reported that Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Gerald Lim said that the road traffic fatalities per 100,000 population in 2019 was 2.05 percent, a drop from 2.2 percent in 2018, and was considered “very good”.

Decrease in Injuries and Drink-Driving Related Accidents

The number of road traffic accidents resulting in injuries decreased from 7,690 cases in 2018 to 7,666 in 2019 – a drop of 0.3 percent.

The number of injured people also saw a decrease of 2.4 percent from 10,018 people in 2018 to 9,773 in 2019.

The number of drink-driving related accidents also decreased significantly by 14 percent to 153 cases in 2019, from 178 cases in 2018. Also, those arrested for drink-driving also dropped by 3.4 percent to 1,969 people in 2019, from 2,038 people in 2018.

Increase in Accidents Involving Elderly Pedestrians and Motorcyclists

While road accidents generally decreased, accidents involving elderly pedestrians increased by 33.6 percent to 322 cases in 2019, a significant jump from 241 cases in 2018.

On an even darker note, the number of elderly pedestrian fatalities increased as well, from 24 in 2018 to 27 people in 2019 – an increase of 12.5 percent. More than half of these fatalities were caused by jaywalking.

SPF stated that they will be working alongside Lion Befrienders Service Association and NTUC Health Cooperative Limited to rally in volunteers. Together, they will educate senior citizens on the dangers of the road and the consequences of jaywalking.

For motorcyclists, the number of accidents resulting in injuries rose by 1.9 percent to 4,444 cases in 2019, up from 4,361 cases in 2018.

Also, there was an increase of 3 percent for motorcyclists and/or their pillions with injuries. This increased from 4,839 in 2018 to 4,985 in 2019.

More Drivers Speeding and Running Red Lights

There was also an increase of speeding-related accidents – a rise of 1.3 percent to 728 cases in 2019, from 719 cases in 2018. Other than that, the number of speeding violations shot up by 16.4 percent to 183,059 cases in 2019, up from 157,312 cases in 2018.

The number of red-light running accidents increased by 14.2 percent to 153 cases in 2019, from 134 cases in 2018. Although, the number of these violations increased by 7.1 percent to 59,368 cases in 2019, from 55,433 cases in 2018.

To reduce the number of deaths and injuries suffered by motorcyclists, the Traffic Police will continue events like the annual Singapore Ride Safe Campaign, The Straits Times reported.

Also, in an effort to stop drivers from running red lights, 12 new red-light cameras will be installed by March 2020, in addition to the 240 cameras currently installed.

Here’s a summary of the report statistics:

Source: CNA, The Straits Times

Read More: What Can We Do to Reduce Traffic Accidents and Fatalities in Singapore

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