Harnessing Technology for Better Road Safety Outcomes in Singapore
On 3 August 2023, I delivered a speech to draw focus on the rate of fatalities and serious injuries on Singapore roads. I pointed out that, whilst the rate of road fatalities in Singapore is relatively low as compared between countries, my research revealed a different picture when we compare statistics between cities of advanced countries. I was, in particular, concerned about the doubling of the deaths amongst motorcyclists and their pillion riders in the first 3 months of this year, as compared to the corresponding periods in 2022 and 2021, advocated the mandating of the incorporation of crash avoidance technologies in motor vehicles, including motorcycles.
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- In the 1970s, as a boy growing up at the JTC flats at 14th mile, Sembawang, my best friend then was my neighbour, Mani. He was living in the flat right above mine. He was several years older than me.
a. To me, he was the elder brother I never had. We always played together almost immediately after we returned from school. He taught me how to ride a bicycle and to play chess.
b. We went on many a cycling trip together such as to the nearby beach at 15th mile, cinema along Canberra Road or the public swimming pool at Deptford Road.
c. Those were indeed carefree days.
2. Mani passed away in around early 1990s in a road traffic accident. It happened shortly after he got married. He was riding a motorbike then.
a. It was a double tragedy for the family as his pillion rider, his grandfather, died in the same accident too.
b. For the first three months of this year alone, there are 19 people like my friend Mani - and two like his grandfather, the pillion rider.
i. This is a much higher figure compared to the corresponding period in the previous 2 years. I will discuss this worrying trend later in my speech.
c. Families of the victims of road accidents who die or suffer crippling injuries would also have to bear the pain and consequences of road traffic accidents permanently.
3. The unfortunate reality is that every year, there are a significant number of road traffic fatalities and serious injuries here and elsewhere.
a. Globally, about 1.35 million people are killed on roads across the world every year. The number of serious injuries amounts to between 20 to 50 million annually.
b. Such incidents carry major economic impact too.
i. Based on a 2019 research paper entitled “The Global Macroenomic Burden of Road Injuries: Estimates and Projections for 166 countries” published in The Lancet, both fatal and nonfatal injuries are estimated to cost the world US$1.6 trillion for the period 2015-30.
4. Lives have intrinsic and economic value, both of which are lost in accidents.
a. But it is not realistic to think about totally eradicating road accidents.
b. This is a point that Lord Sumption, the famous former UK Law Lord, put across pithily in his Reith Lecture in 2019. He said as follows:
“Think about road accidents. They are, by far, the largest source of accidental, physical injury in this country. We could almost completely eliminate them by reviving the Locomotive Act of 1865 which limited the speed of motorized vehicles to 4 miles an hour in the country and 2 in towns. Today, we allow faster speeds than that, although we know for certain that it will mean many more people being killed or injured, and we do this because total safety would be too inconvenient…So eliminating risk is not an absolute value, it is a question of degree.”
5. Sir, if it is a question of degree, then I think there is a case for Singapore to strive to achieve lower rates of fatalities and serious injuries arising from road accidents.
a. Singapore’s roads are relatively safe when comparison is done on a country-by-country basis.
b. Based on WHO figures:
i. Singapore’s road traffic fatality rate (per 100,000 population) (“RTF rate”) for 2019 was reported at 2.09, which was amongst the lowest in the world. It continues to be so.
c. But the picture becomes a little different when we compare our road traffic fatality rates with several metropolitan cities in advanced countries:
i. Consider Hong Kong:
1. Looking at its 2018-2022 figures, it has about 800,000 vehicles on its roads.
a. That translates to roughly about 200,000 less than us for the same period.
b. We have slightly under 1 million vehicles on our roads.
2. Its resident population is however higher than ours at about 7.4 million
a. In comparison, our resident population is about 2 million smaller.
3. The average Road Traffic Fatality rate per 100,000 population for HK for the period 2018-2022 is 1.43:
a. In comparison, ours is 1.92 for the same period.
ii. Next, let’s look at London:
1. London has more motor vehicles and a much bigger population.
2. In 2022, London has 2.6 million registered vehicles.
3. Its population is about 8.8 m.
4. In 2022, 101 people were killed in London roads. This leads to an RTF rate per 100,000 population of 1.15.
a. Ours is 1.92 in 2022.
iii. Finally, I come to Tokyo.
1. Tokyo’s metropolitan area is amongst the most densely populated cities in the world with a population of about 37 million as at 2022.
2. However, it has only about 3 million vehicles.
3. The 2022 RTF rate for Tokyo was reported as 0.94, which is much lower than ours at 1.92 in 2022.
6. Man for man, Singapore loses more lives than Hong Kong, London and Tokyo. We however compare favourably with cities such as:
a. Seoul City, which had a RTF rate of 2.18 as compared to our 1.46 in 2020; and
b. New York, which had an RTF rate of 2.87 as compared to our 1.92 in 2022.
7. I fully appreciate that the vehicle mix in each of the cities is different from Singapore’s.
a. However, the short point I am making is that, notwithstanding the limitations of my research, it is reasonable to infer that whilst we have done relatively well in terms of ensuring a high level of road safety on our roads, there remains room for improvement.
8. Sir, what precipitated my decision to file this speech is the alarming fatality figures for motorcyclists and pillion riders in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022 and 2021:
a. As we all recognize, motorcyclists and pillion riders are amongst the most vulnerable road users.
b. Between 2018 and 2022, motorcyclists and pillion riders accounted for 50.7% of road traffic fatalities.
c. I filed a PQ that came up for answer in May 2023 concerning fatalities amongst motorcyclists and pillion riders.
d. The answers revealed that the fatality figure for the 1st quarter this year is double that of the corresponding figure in the same period for 2022 and 2021.
i. In an ST article dated 7 May 2023, Mr Bernard Tay, the Chairman of the Singapore Road Safety Council was reported as saying that “the figure is alarming but it needs to be analysed further to understand the number better”.
ii. I fully agree with Mr Tay’s suggestion and would respectfully commend it to the Government for its consideration.
e. Anecdotally, I have received feedback from my residents in Bukit Batok on the matter too.
i. Mr Hairul, aged 32 is an auxiliary police officer who is deployed at Changi Prison Complex. He travels to and fro his workplace via motorcycle.
ii. He told me he has noticed an uptick of motorcyclists weaving in and out of traffic at great speed and without signalling early.
iii. He also noticed a higher number of drivers who are using their mobile phones whilst driving and not being conscious of blind spots when making turns.
f. There are many amongst us who are concerned abou the safety of delivery motorcycle riders who have a high cognitive tax on them each day on the read – including the need to look at mobile phone-based apps and stresses from wanting to make as many delivery trips as possible.
g. The Police, in its statement, stated that the causes for the uptick include motorcyclists failing to maintain proper control of their bikes, not keeping a proper lookout and disobeying traffic light signals.
9. Sir, the Government needs to act decisively to arrest this worrying development.
10. I do appreciate that the Government has already been taking active steps to enhance road safety over the years:
a. For instance, just within a space of 3 years between 2019 and 2021, the Road Traffic Act was amended twice with a suite of measures, including the enhancing of criminal sanctions, to deter irresponsible driving and improve road safety.
i. These amendments received broad support from hon Members of this House.
ii. To my knowledge, Traffic Police has been actively enforcing these provisions against offending motorists; especially against those who are caught speeding and beating red lights:
1. These are often cited as the top 2 reasons for accidents.
iii. The officers of Traffic Police deserve our full support in their enforcement efforts.
b. The Hon Minister for Home Affairs, in answer to my PQ, also highlighted that the Traffic Police, Land Transport Authority and the Singapore Road Safety Council have implemented various initiatives to strengthen road safety awareness amongst road users.
i. Indeed, the Minister’s 3-pronged approach of making our roads safer through education, engagement and enforcement has much to commend itself for.
11. The Land Transport Authority has also taken several important steps to make roads safer for us.
a. It announced plans to create an additional 50 Silver Zones in estates with a high proportion of senior residents and relatively higher accident rates involving seniors.
b. In a PQ that I filed in 2022, the hon Minister informed that the introduction of non-discretionary Red Amber Green (“RAG”) right-turn signals at junctions where there is a higher risk of accidents has reduced the instances of accidents by 40%!
i. This is commendable.
c. LTA also has other initiatives such as appropriate road markings, lighted road studs, integrated pedestrian countdown timers and signs.
12. All these moves, cumulatively, are in the right direction.
13. Notwithstanding, there is I believe greater room for the use of technology to compensate for human error and inattention – we need to harness safety technology to move the needle more aggressively so as to reduce death and serious injuries on our roads.
14. Over the years, there have been great strides taken in technological developments to improve the safety features found in vehicles.
a. Beyond the standard seatbelts (which are required by regulation), airbags and anti-lock braking system (“ABS”), we now have access to safety technology in form of :
i. blind-spot warning systems;
ii. rear cross traffic alerts;
iii. automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection systems;
iv. lane keep assists; and
v. adaptive cruise controls
15. I would add that these technologies are not new technologies that would have to be test-bedded to check for reliability.
a. All these technologies have long reached a steady state.
13. Do these crash avoidance technologies result in lesser collisions and save lives?
a. Based on my research, the answer is yes.
b. In a 2019 article entitled “Net-societal and net-private benefits of some existing vehicle crash avoidance technologies”, it was estimated that just 3 technologies (namely blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning and forward-collision warning) for all light duty passenger vehicles in the US would have collectively prevented up to 1.6 million crashes a year, including 7,200 fatal crashes.
i. The crash prevention costs savings, according to the same article, if the technologies were mandated throughout the light-duty vehicle fleet, based on certain assumptions, would be up to US $264 billion.
c. The ASEAN NCAP, which stands for the “New Car Assessment Programme” is a body dedicated to elevate vehicle safety standards and encourage a market for safer vehicles in the region.
i. It opined that if all cars and equipped with Blind Spot Detection and Visualization technologies, it is expected that 37% of collisions, especially with motorcycles, can be avoided.
14. In Europe, they have gone one step further:
a. From 2022, all motor vehicles (including trucks, buses, vans and cars) will have to be compulsorily equipped with safety features that include:
i. Intelligent speed assistance:
1. Basically, this works as speed limiters to alert drivers of the speed limit of the roads and limit the speed of the vehicle as needed.
ii. Reversing detection system;
iii. Advanced driver distraction warning system;
iv. Emergency stop signals
v. Reversing detection systems
vi. Event data recorders; and
vii. Accurate tyre pressure monitoring.
15. With respect to safety features in motorcycles, it seemed to me that, whilst there are a number of safety features that have been implemented arising from technological advances, they are not as widely adopted as compared to motor vehicles.
16. They include:
a. ABS for motorcycles;
b. Combined braking system to engage front and rear brakes at the same time; and
c. Traction and stabilily controls.
It is somewhat an irony that the vulnerable vehicles have the fewest technological protections.
17. In March 2023, the European Transport Safety Council has called on EU countries to introduce ABS for all motorcycles, including those under 125 cc. Whether its recommendation will be implemented is not certain, though. Calls have also been made in several countries, including Malaysia, to introduce speed limiters on motorcycles.
18. What is the downside to mandating the use of safety technology in our vehicles?
a. Well, one significant downside is cost.
i. I acknowledge that.
ii. We need to balance this against the costs savings arising from crash prevention, as I just highlighted.
iii. Also, we cannot put a price to the saving of life and avoiding of crippling injuries.
b. Furthermore, I had occasion to speak to several motor vehicle insurance underwriters who informed me that the presence of safety features in motor vehicles are factors that are taken into account when assessing the premiums payable although the weight placed on such factors differ from insurer to insurer.
i. This is not a perceived advantage. It is already happening.
ii. There are a number of insurance companies in Singapore offering to discount motorists’ premiums by 4% just by installing dashcams in their cars.
c. Also, I noted in a 2020 article issued by McKinsey & Company & Company that when regulators make safety features mandatory, like is the case in Europe, the market will react to make these features commoditized over time.
i. If this is indeed the case, the costs will, over time, moderate downwards.
d. Finally, I note that, thanks to the PARF rebate and COE system, Singapore has a relatively young vehicle population.
i. For eg, 37.2% of cars on Singapore roads were registered within the past 5 years.
1. I therefore anticipate that a good number of these vehicles would have already been installed with important safety features that l spoke on earlier as standard fare.
2. The cost consequence should these safety features be mandated may not be as significant as what would more likely happen is a standardisation of the technologies amongst all the cars.
ii. This may not be the case for buses though. Based on my calculations, only 22% of buses are 5 years old or younger.
1. Hence, I acknowledge that cost consequence for making it mandatory for these vehicles to carry mandated safety features is likely to be higher.
19. Having regard to the developments that I have outlined, I would like to make a case for LTA to consider mandating the incorporation and use of safety technologies that have an established record of being able to reduce collisions in all our vehicles.
a. With respect, I think our regulations mandating safety features in vehicles are, somewhat, behind the curve.
b. We have, in my opinion, only a small raft of regulations mandating use of safety technologies in our vehicles.
i. We have regulations mandating the use of seat belts.
ii. More recently, in the discussion about safety in workers’ transportation, it was announced that all lorries with a maximum laden weight exceeding 3,500 kg, will be required to be equipped with speed limiters.
c. We can do more.
20. Mr Speaker, as I have pointed out earlier, there are proven technologies that we can consider adopting as regulatory fiat in our vehicles.
a. They will add slightly to the cost, and we can take an incremental approach to their introduction.
b. But overall, I think it is a small price to pay to reduce the number of deaths on our roads.
21. Borrowing the words from Emily Dickenson’s poem, my friend Mani did not want to stop for Death, but Death, unkindly, stopped for him. There can be far fewer such hard stops, if we all resolve to improve the safety requirements for all our modern-day carriages — be they bikes or cars or buses or lorries. Thank you.
