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Please cite this article as:
Haque, M. M. (2011). Road Safety in Singapore. Modern Traffic Medicine (WANG Zhenguo
ed.). China: Chongging Publishing House, Chongging, China. ISBN: 978-7-229-03912-7,
993-1002.
ROAD SAFETY IN SINGAPORE
Md. Mazharul Haque
Research Fellow
Department of Civil Engineering
National University of Singapore
Singapore, 117576
Tel: 65 65162255
Email: mmh@nus.edu.sg
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ABSTRACT
Singapore is a highly developed country that has a well connected island-wide road transport
system including a network of expressways. The road standards of Singapore are generally
good and road safety level is very high by international standards. This chapter discusses road
safety status in Singapore and highlights the practices that have been undertaken to enhance
the road safety. Statistics show that road traffic fatalities were decreasing over the years,
albeit an increasing trend for total crashes. Motorcyclists and pedestrians were two vulnerable
road user groups and shared significant proportions respectively about 49% and 28% of total
road traffic deaths. In particular, young riders and pedestrians had a higher crash potential. To
enhance safety of those vulnerable road users, Singapore has taken several initiatives
including infrastructure improvements like paving better skid-resistant materials at crash-
prone sites, providing more rain shelters for motorcyclists, and installation of reflective signs
and markings near school zones; safety campaigns and awareness programs like ride safe
programme, the road courtesy campaign, and the anti-drink drive campaign. While Land
Transport Authority (LTA) looks into road safety through engineering solutions and road
infrastructure developments, the Traffic Police of Singapore is responsible for law
enforcements and regulations. A number of non-government organizations, private
companies, and university research groups are also continuously working with the Traffic
Police to study, promote, and educate the general public on road safety matters.
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INTRODUCTION
Singapore, located at the southern tip of the Malayan Peninsula between Malaysia and
Indonesia, is a heavily urbanized city-state island country in Southeast Asia. With an area of
about 700 sq. km, the total population of Singapore is about 4.8 million giving the country
population density of 6,814 per sq. km. A total 3,325 km paved road network of Singapore
comprises 161 km expressways, 621 km arterial roads, 500 km paved roads, and 2043 km
local roads (see figure 2.1). The total length of the rail network is 138.2 km which includes
109.4 km of MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) and 28.8 km of LRT (Light Rapid Transit).
Figure 2.1 Map of Singapore
Motor vehicle travel is the primary means of transportation within the country. Table 2.1
shows the composition and recent development of vehicle population in Singapore. There
were about 0.9 million of motor vehicles in 2008, representing about 24% increase from 1998
or an average growth rate of about 2.2% per year. The motorized vehicle population
comprises 64.5% cars, 16.3% motorcycles, 1.7% buses, and 17.5% goods and other vehicles
with the corresponding average growth rate of respectively 4.2%, 0.9%, 3.1%, and 1.0% per
year. Table 2.1 Motor vehicle population by type of vehicle
Motor Vehicles/Year
1998
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Cars
395,226
427,110
439,877
462,966
498,051
541,487
577,146
Motorcycles
133,375
135,649
137,029
139,434
142,736
144,340
146,120
Goods and Other Vehicles
141,051
135,333
137,316
139,098
144,466
150,979
156,089
Buses
11,429
12,951
13,173
13,494
14,120
14,530
15,327
Total
681,081
711,043
727,395
754,992
799,373
851,336
894,682
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While traffic crashes are low by international standards, road safety remains a concern in the
efficiency-conscious nation. This chapter discusses the status of road safety in Singapore and
highlights the practices that have been undertaken to promote safety on the roads. In
Singapore, road traffic crashes involving injuries are mainly reported to the Singapore Traffic
Police Department who are mainly responsible for maintaining and disseminating statistics
on traffic crashes in Singapore. In discussing traffic safety, traffic police crash reports will be
used as the primary basis of assessment.
ROAD SAFETY PROBLEMS
The trends in traffic crashes over the years 1998 to 2008 are graphed in figure 2.2. The crash
rate per 100,000 registered vehicles in 2008 was 31.1, an increase of about 16% from 1998.
However 24% decrease on the fatal crash rates have been observed over the same time
period. The share of fatal and injury crashes were respectively about 2.5% and 97.5% of total
road traffic crashes. In 2008, 212 fatal and 8,378 injury crashes formed up a total of 8,590
traffic crashes resulting in 221 fatalities and 10,760 injuries on the road.
Figure 2.2 Trends in traffic crashes in Singapore
The road traffic fatality rate per million population of Singapore in 2008 was 45.7 which was
a decrease by about 19% from 1998. Figure 2.3 shows the shares of road traffic fatalities of
different road user groups. Motorcycle occupants alone contributed to about 49% of road
traffic deaths and their fatality had been increased by about 24.1% from 1998. Without this
substantial increase, road traffic fatalities might have been experienced a marked reduction of
about 15.7%. Other road user groups such as car occupants, heavy vehicle occupants,
pedestrians, and pedal cyclists represented respectively about 10.4%, 2.7%, 28.1%, and 9.9%
of road traffic deaths in 2008.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
750
800
850
900
950
1000
1998
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Fatal crashes per 100,000
registered vehicles
Total crashes per 100,000
regesitered vehicles
YEAR
Total Crashes
Fatal Crashes
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Figure 2.3 Road deaths by road user class, 2008
The contribution of cars, motorcycles, pedal cycles and goods & other vehicles to total road
traffic crashes in 2008 were respectively 43.6%, 33.0%, 4.1%, and 19.3%. The crash-
involvement rates per registered vehicles of different motor vehicle types are presented in
figure 2.4. While the crash rate for cars remained almost same, the corresponding rates for
motorcycles and heavy vehicles showed an increasing trend. On an average, crash rates of
motorcycles and heavy vehicles are increasing by respectively about 3.2% and 2.3% each
year.
Figure 2.4 Year trend of crash rates of different motor vehicle types
Car
Occupants
10.4%
Motorcyclists
& Pillion
Riders
48.9%
Pedestrians
28.1%
Pedal
Cyclists
10.0%
Other Vehicle
occupants
2.7%
0
100
200
300
400
1998 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Crashes per 10,000 registered
vehicles
Year
Cars Motorcycles Goods and Other Vehicles
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Motorcyclists are one of the vulnerable road user groups (Haque et al., 2008). As shown in
Figure 2.4, motorcycles were over-represented in road traffic crashes. In 2008, the fatality
and injury rates of motorcyclists were respectively 19 and 7 times higher than any other
motor vehicle occupants. In particular, young motorcyclists (age 20-29) represented over
40% of motorcycle fatalities and injuries (see Figure 2.5). Racial distribution showed that
there were about 46% Chinese, 39% Malay and the rest others among crash-involved
motorcyclists. Pillion riders were not present in almost 85% of motorcycle crashes. About
39% of motorcycle crashes occurred at night and over 37% of such crashes were single
vehicle crashes. While about 25% and 24% of motorcycle crashes took place respectively at
expressways and intersections, the rest of the crashes occurred at other parts of the road
network. High speed roadways (≥ 60 km/h) stood for about 38% of motorcycle crashes.
About 54% of crash-involved motorcyclists were at-fault and the rest were not-at-fault for
crash causations. As shown in figure 2.6, common causes attributed to motorcyclists were
failing to have a proper control of vehicle (46.5%), failing to keep a proper lookout (29%),
and the rest are other causes.
Figure 2.5 Fatal and injury casualties of motorcyclists by age group
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
<20
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 & Above
Percentage (%)
Age Group
Killed
Injured
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Figure 2.6 Causes attributed to motorcyclists
In 2008, 23 occupants of cars were killed and an additional 2,585 were injured from a total
6,541 car involved in road traffic crashes. Age and gender distributions of those crash-
involved drivers are presented in figure 2.7. Overall female drivers shared only about 17% of
all crash-involved drivers. While older males (over 50 years) represented about 37% of all
male drivers, middle-aged (30-39 years) females represented about 31% of all female drivers.
About 83% of drivers were Chinese and the rest were Malay and others. About 81% of car
crashes were multi-vehicle crashes which occurred mostly at roads with speed limit not more
than 50 km/h (about 65%) and during daytime (about 59%). Intersections and expressways
represented respectively about 33% and 17% of car crashes. Drivers were likely to be at-fault
in about 58% of cases for crash causations. Common causes attributed to car drivers were
failing to keep a proper lookout (about 39%), failing to give way to traffic with right-of-way
(about 21%) etc. The distribution of different causes attributed to car drivers for their crash-
involvements is shown in figure 2.8.
Figure 2.7 Age and Gender distributions of crash-involved motorcar drivers
3.5
3.4
3.1
29.0
4.8
46.5
4.8
0.8
4.1
0 10 20 30 40 50
Fail to giveway to traffic with right of way
Change lane without due care
Overtaking without due care
Fail to keep a proper lookout
Follow to closely to vehicle in front
Fail to have a proper control
Disobey traffic signal
Ride under influence of alcohol
Others
Percentage (%)
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
<20
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 & Above
Frequency
Age Group
Male
Female
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Figure 2.8 Causes attributed to car drivers
A total of 2,895 crash-involved goods and other vehicles in 2008 comprised of 70% goods
vehicles, 19% buses including minibuses, and 11% other vehicles such as construction
vehicles, road maintenance and emergency vehicles. While 16% of such crashes took place at
expressways, the rest 84% occurred at arterial, collector and main roads. About 24% of crash-
involved drivers of goods and heavy vehicles were not Singaporean, about 30% of drivers
were between ages of 40 and 49 years leading to a total of about 62% of drivers were more
than 40 years old (see figure 2.9). Goods and heavy vehicle drivers were most likely (about
81%) to involve in multi-vehicle crashes which mostly happened during daytime (about
68%). The likelihood of being at-fault for goods and heavy vehicle drivers were about 61%
and causal factors followed almost the same distribution as if for car drivers (see figure 2.8).
Figure 2.9 Age distribution of goods and heavy vehicle drivers
3.6
20.6
10.2
39.1
4.1
8.5
6.7
1.1
6.2
0 10 20 30 40
Turn without due care
Fail to giveway to traffic with right of way
Change lane without due care
Fail to keep a proper lookout
Follow to closely to vehicle in front
Fail to have proper control
Disobey traffic signal
Drive under influence of alcohol
Others
Percentage (%)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
<20
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 & Above
Percentage (%)
Age Group
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In 2008, 22 pedal cyclists were killed and an additional 585 were injured in Singapore,
representing about 10% traffic fatalities and about 5.4% of traffic injuries on the road.
Among 38% of pedal cycle crashes at intersections, about 68% of crashes occurred at
signalized intersection, of which about 52% of crashes happened at night. Among the rest
62% of non-intersection pedal cycle crashes, about 84% of crashes occurred at roads with
speed limit of 50 km/h or less, and about 39% of crashes occurred at night. About 46% of
crash-involved pedal cyclists were not Singaporean and about 52% were not-at-fault for crash
causations. Age distribution showed that about 35% of pedal cyclists were ages between 20
to 29 years, and about 11% were less than 20 years old (see figure 2.10). Among teenage
cyclists, about 95.5% were male, about 97% were Singaporean, and almost 57% were at-
fault.
Figure 2.10 Age distribution of pedal cyclists
Pedestrian casualties made up 62 fatalities and 1,114 injuries on the road, representing about
28% of all traffic fatalities and about 10% of all the people injured in road traffic crashes in
2008. On an average, more than a pedestrian was killed in a motor vehicle crash every week,
and about three pedestrians were injured every day. Cars, motorcycles, and goods & other
vehicles represented respectively about 59%, 17%, and 24% of pedestrian-motor vehicle
collisions. About 58% of pedestrian crashes occurred at roads with two-way traffic type, in
comparison with 16% at roads with one-way traffic type, 18% at intersections, and the rest at
other location types. While about 87% of pedestrian crashes occurred at roads with speed
limit of 50 km/h or less, about 38% of such crashes occurred at night. About 27% of crash-
involved pedestrians were non-Singaporean and 47% of such pedestrians were at-fault
compared with 41% at-fault nationwide. Age and gender distributions of crash-involved
pedestrians are graphed in figure 2.11. Overall, about 58% of pedestrians were male and the
rest were female. While male pedestrians aged from 20 to 29 were the highest (20%) among
their age groups, the highest share (21%) among female pedestrians was for age group from
10 to 19. On average, more than one-fifth (22%) of pedestrians were teenage (< 20 years old).
Pedestrians were more likely to be involved in crashes during crossing the road - about 52% -
compared with 4% while on footpath and 44% while on the road. As shown in figure 2.12,
crossing related pedestrian crashes occurred mostly at signalized crossing (34%), followed by
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
<20
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 & Above
Percentage (%)
Age Group
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locations without pedestrian crossing (30%), and on-street parking areas where pedestrians
attempted to cross in front or behind a stationary vehicle (16%).
Figure 2.11 Age and Gender distribution of crash-involved pedestrians
Figure 2.12 Locations of crossing related pedestrian crashes
0
30
60
90
120
150
<10 10-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70 & Above
Frequency
Age Group
Male
Female
4.3
34.1
13.7
30.1
1.6
16.1
Zebra crossing
Signalized crossing
Unlawfully near crossing facilities
Without pedestrian crossing
Waiting on central divider or traffic
island
Infront/behind stationary vehicle
0 10 20 30 40
Percentage (%)
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ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVES
For many years, motorcyclists and pedestrians are the vulnerable users in the road system. To
enhance safety of those users, Land Transport Authority (LTA) has included several
initiatives in the land transport master plan 2008. The initiatives to enhance the infrastructure
for better motorcycle safety include paving high-skid resistant materials at crash-prone sites,
installing better vehicular impact guardrails appropriate for motorcyclists, and providing
more rain shelters to encourage motorcyclists not to ride in the rain (LTA, 2008). At the same
time, engineering solutions to help pedestrians include the installation of intelligent road
studs at pedestrian crossings to warn motorists; personal electronic devices for elderly
pedestrians to allow more crossing time; and advance road markings, real time speed
advisory signs, and traffic calming markings to reduce the speed of vehicles at crash-prone
areas (LTA, 2008).
The Road Safety Engineering Unit of LTA is responsible to ensure good and sound road
engineering practices, enhance road safety, and work with other agencies involved in road
safety. This unit recently carried out a black spot program to identify crash prone areas in the
transport network. Since the program was launched in 2005, it has identified and treated over
100 crash prone locations. Other initiatives of this unit include 'Enhanced School Zone' to
improve traffic safety around schools, installation of crash cushions at high-risk locations to
reduce injury severity, and erecting concrete bollards at selected bus stops to protect waiting
commuters from runaway vehicles
While LTA looks into road safety through various engineering solutions, the Traffic Police is
responsible for enforcing traffic laws and regulations on roads and promoting road safety by
influencing behaviour and skills of road users. Singapore has included world class traffic
legislations, regulating and monitoring systems into the transport network, and the Traffic
Police are highly efficient and have non-corruptible violation enforcement on the roads.
Besides enforcements, various education and safety campaigns have also been organized by
the Traffic Police. Every year, the Singapore Traffic Police in collaboration with other
agencies develop a myriad of public education outreach programmes primarily targeted at
vulnerable road users. Some of these include the ride safe programme, the road courtesy
campaign, the anti-drink drive campaign and other educational programmes to encourage the
proper use child seats.
Trade associations, non-government organizations, and various private companies also play a
vital role in organizing safety campaign and awareness programmes. For example, the
Automobile Association of Singapore is a key supporter of Traffic Police's road safety
outreach programmes for many years and also disseminates useful motoring information and
road safety advises to its members and public through their regular newsletters and
magazines. Similarly, the Singapore Motorcycle Trade Association (SMTCA), the National
Safety Council of Singapore, and various private companies such as Shell Eastern Petroleum
Pte Ltd and 3M Technologies Pte Ltd also arrange and support various activities including
road safety conferences to promote road safety of various road users.
There are also road safety research undertaken by the National University of Singapore
(NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University. In particular, NUS under the Safety
Studies Initiative (SSI) develop targeted countermeasures to combat safety problems of
different road users (e.g., Haque et al., 2009; Haque and Chin, 2010). SSI also works with
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various agencies and organizations to facilitate public education, training programs and
activities to promote road safety.
In Singapore, there are three driving centres: Bukit Batok Driving Centre, Comfort Driving
Centre, and Singapore Safety Driving Centre. Driving centres are responsible for training of
drivers as well as conducting retaining courses for suspended drivers. In collaboration with
traffic police, they are also responsible for testing drivers. Driving schools have very
comprehensive theory and practical lessons for drivers and riders. They also update and
revise their curriculums regularly. For example, recently they have extended rider training
programmes to expressways to train motorcyclists about potential hazards at high speed
roadways. Driving centres also use riding and driving simulators to train riders and drivers
about potential dangerous encounters on roads.
To create road safety awareness and encourage good habits an early development stage,
Ministry of Education (MOE) has included road safety education in its curriculum for
primary school students. The curriculum includes pedestrian safety, cyclist safety, causes of
traffic crashes, use of traffic lights, and safety on public transport. In addition to the formal
classes, all primary five students are given practical classes by arranging traffic games at
Road Safety Park. Furthermore road safety talks are also conducted by schools at assembly
talks and exhibitions (Chin and Tan, 2003). MOE works in partnership with traffic and
neighbourhood police in promoting road safety education at schools as well as controlling
traffic during school events.
Recently the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has formed the Singapore Road Safety
Council (SRSC), with the support of Ministry of Transport (MOT) with the input from the
Traffic Police and LTA to streamline the road safety promotion activities in Singapore.
CONCLUSION
The road safety problem is still a concern in Singapore. A scientific estimate (Chin et al.,
2006) put the total cost of road traffic crashes in Singapore at about S$610.3 million for the
year 2003 which was about 0.3% of the annual GDP. To further increase the road safety
standards of Singapore, a change in mind-set of all road users must be made so that
individuals understand the social responsibility toward safety and begin to act safely on
roads. To achieve a higher level of safety awareness, authorities should be more
conscientious for promoting and enforcing road safety. Moreover there must be a greater
coordination and dialogue among different road safety stakeholders.
Acknowledgements:
The Authors would like to thank Singapore Traffic Police for providing the road traffic crash
data of Singapore.
References:
Chin, H.C., Haque, M.M., and Yap, H. J. (2006). An estimate of road accident costs in
Singapore. In Proceedings of International Conference on Road Safety in Developing
Countries. Dhaka, Bangladesh: 28-35.
Chin, H.C., and Tan. E. (2003). ADB-ASEAN Regional road safety program - Country report
CR 8: Singapore, Asian Development Bank.
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Haque, M.M., Chin, H.C., (2010). A mixed logit analysis on the right-angle crash
vulnerability of motorcycles at signalized intersections. Transportation Research Record, In
press.
Haque, M.M., Chin, H.C., Huang, H.L., (2008). Examining exposure of motorcycles at
signalized intersections. Transportation Research Record 2048, 60-65.
Haque, M.M., Chin, H.C., Huang, H., (2009). Modeling fault among motorcyclists involved
in crashes. Accident Analysis & Prevention 41 (2), 327-335.
LTA (2008). Land Transport Master plan. Land Transport Authority, Singapore.