CASES OF INJURIES AND DEATH OF MOTORCYCLISTS AND PILLION RIDERS IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2023
On 25 April 2023, I filed a PQ asking the Minister for Home Affairs about the number of cases involving death and injuries of motorcyclists and pillion riders to date this year. I raised this question because, anecdotally, I observed an uptick of such cases. On 7 May 2023, ST ran an article informing that the fatality figures for motorcyclists and pillion riders almost doubled in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022 and 2021. The next day, on 8 May 2023, the hon Minister for Home Affairs issued his answer to my PQ informing that, apart from the 21 fatalities, 1017 motorcyclists and pillions were injured for the same period. Motorcyclists and pillion riders are clearly more vulnerable than drivers of other vehicles. For every road accident leading to the death and injuries from road accidents, the impact on their families would certainly be immense. Let us all exercise more vigilance and look for each other on the roads, especially those who are more vulnerable such as motorcyclists.
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Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs for the first four months of 2023 (a) how many motorcyclists and their pillion riders have been (i) injured or (ii) died from road traffic accidents; (b) whether there has been an uptick of such cases as compared to the corresponding period last year; and © if so, what steps are being taken to raise awareness of this fact amongst road users as well as to arrest the problem.
Mr K Shanmugam: Between January and March 2023, 898 motorcyclists and 119 pillion riders suffered injuries from road traffic accidents. 19 motorcyclists and two pillion riders died. The figures for April 2023 are still being compiled.
These figures are a slight increase from the corresponding period in 2022. However, they are comparable to pre-pandemic figures.
The Traffic Police, Land Transport Authority, and Singapore Road Safety Council have implemented various initiatives to strengthen road safety awareness among motorcyclists and other road users. These were shared in Police’s Annual News Release on the Road Traffic Situation on 14 February 2023.
