SINGAPORE: Singapore has earned a reputation for being one of the safest cities in the world. However, on any given day, there are reports of multiple traffic accidents, with, unfortunately, even some fatalities.
According to a recent poll, part of the problem may lie with the impatience of Singapore’s motorists.
Consider the past few days. A van hit a lamp post at Tengah Link on May 29, causing the driver to be trapped in his vehicle and needing to be rescued by the Singapore Civil Defence Force. The following day, after a taxi crashed into a tree, the vehicle caught fire, and its driver and a male passenger were brought to the hospital. On Saturday as well, two accidents occurred within a short time near the Mount Pleasant Flyover at Pan Island Expressway (PIE). The mishaps involved five vehicles and a motorcycle, and 14 people, including an 8-year-old boy, needed medical attention. A 23-year-old male pillion rider died at Tan Tock Seng Hospital after the mishap.
In her speech at the Our Tampines Hub on Community Road Safety Day on Saturday (May 30), Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Home Affairs Sim Ann spoke about how safe Singaporeans feel based on a recent survey.
“Earlier this year, we conducted a dipstick poll with 1,000 Singapore residents to better understand how they feel about road safety. The findings were telling. Only 61% of respondents said they find Singapore’s roads safe, which leaves significant room for improvement,” Ms Sim said.
She noted that the number of speeding violations from 2023 to 2025 more than doubled, from 116,440 to 253,550 cases, in part due to better technology and stricter enforcement.
However, the Senior Minister of State added: “The general non-compliance to traffic rules, however, points to a cultural shift that is needed for safer road use,” giving the example of the number of instances of vehicles crossing double white lines rose from 3,122 in March to 4,169 in April, and announcing upcoming changes to the Driver Improvement Points System and lowering of alcohol limits for drink driving.
Ms Sim also said that over three in four of the survey’s participants (76%) said that impatience is the top reason road users do not comply with traffic rules, underlining that Singaporeans need to do their part to make roads safer.
“Every time we choose to slow down, give way or wait for the green man, we protect the lives of our loved ones and fellow road users,” she added. /TISG
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