Singapore Launches Road Safety Outreach Campaign 2010
SMS Ho Peng Kee on road safety outreach for three groups of road users – motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists.
Speech by Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Law at the launch of the Road Safety Outreach And Road Courtesy Campaign 2010 at Singapore Expo Hall 5 – 11 July 2010.
Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen, Good morning:
I am happy to be here this morning to launch this year’s Road Safety Outreach and Road Courtesy Campaign in conjunction with Singapore Press Holdings’ CATS Classified Car-nival.
Road Safety Outreach Theme – ‘The Best Gift to Your Loved Ones is Yourself. Make It Home Safely’
This year, we are pressing on with the tagline I had introduced last year at this same event, which is ‘The Best Gift to Your Loved Ones is Yourself. Make it Home Safely’. This message may, at first blush, seem egoistic, but if you think about it, it contains much home-grown truth. The punchline is, of course, the second line. “Make it home safely”, and better still, if while doing so, you had shown courtesy to other road users. It is an effective and relevant tagline, injecting a personal dimension to this road safety drive.
Last year saw a 17 per cent reduction in accident fatalities as compared to 2008. Indeed, 2009’s road accident fatality rate of 3.67 per 100,000 persons was the lowest in Singapore’s history. This is a significant achievement and reflects the continuous efforts put in by Traffic Police, its partners and sponsors and of course, every road user day in and day out. This annual campaign has made its mark. As I’ve said many times before, whether we drive, ride or walk, reducing accident on our roads is a shared responsibility.
But the key challenge of keeping our roads safe and our road users courteous remains. We must, in particular, keep in mind three vulnerable groups of road users – motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists.
Road Safety Concerns – Motorcyclists & Pillion Riders
Motorcyclists and pillion riders constitute the most vulnerable group of road users in Singapore. Road accidents involving motorcycles continue to contribute to a high proportion of fatalities on our roads. From January to May this year, motorcyclists and pillion riders constituted 44.7 per cent of total road accident fatalities.
The Traffic Police have rolled out several measures to tackle this. In addition to recent changes in the training syllabus for new riders, an initiative to familiarise new riders with riding on expressways will be introduced. Traffic Police will also continue to run the “Ride Safe 2010” programme, to remind motorcyclists to stay alert and focused while riding.
For motorcyclists entering or leaving via the land checkpoints, TP will work with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to heighten their awareness to the dangers of riding under fatigue.
Road Safety Outreach for Pedestrians
Pedestrians are the next most vulnerable group of road users. Within this category, the elderly are of our greatest concern. Over the same five month period, there were 16 cases of fatalities involving elderly pedestrians, accounting for about 53 per cent of total pedestrian fatalities. Of these 16 cases, 14 were killed while jaywalking. This reinforces the need to mitigate the potential dangers faced by senior citizens on the roads.
At a novel event in March this year, TP partnered Zouk Management to organise the Zouk Reunion Lunch for senior citizens with the aim of educating them on road safety in a light-hearted and entertaining way. Some 200 senior citizens attended the function which was a resounding success. Apart from the ongoing road safety talks and exhibitions, TP will continue to work with our strategic partners to remind our elderly of the importance of road safety.
To serve as a constant reminder to pedestrians, TP have also produced lamp-post banners with taglines like “Take It Slow and Easy”, “Be Seen. Be Safe” and “Make It Home Safely”. These are displayed at high-visibility locations islandwide.
Road Safety Outreach For Cyclists
Last but not least, cyclists remain a road safety concern. Both cyclists and motorists play a part to make cycling safe on our roads. Cyclists should be properly attired and adopt good cycling behaviour such as maintaining lane discipline and using hand signals. Motorists, on their part, should be vigilant and mindful of the presence of cyclists in their vehicles’ paths, giving them some space.
As part of its community outreach, TP conducts safe cycling clinics with Safe Cycling Task Force, a group of volunteers, to promote safe cycling. These clinics are conducted at community clubs as well as at grassroots events to reach out to the general community of cyclists in our neighbourhoods. To engage our young cyclists, safe cycling educational talks are also held at primary and secondary schools and at the Road Safety Community Park. Last year, such talks benefited more than 50,000 students.
In 2009, foreign workers made up one third of cyclist fatalities. To address the problem, TP has been working closely with dormitories and employers to increase road safety awareness amongst foreign workers. Banners carrying messages for cyclists and pedestrians were prominently displayed at areas frequented by foreign workers. The efforts to instill better cycling behaviour in our foreign workforce have paid off. In the first five months of this year, there were no cyclist fatalities involving foreign workers. Traffic Police will press on with these educational efforts, reinforced with enforcement actions.
Road Courtesy Campaign Theme – “You Are How You Drive”
Moving on to the Road Courtesy Campaign, this year’s focus will be on our drivers. Driving can be a stressful activity especially when many variables like peak hour traffic jams, bad weather conditions and so on are beyond our control. When stressed or irritated, we may lose focus at the wheel and this can result in accidents.
Driving stress can be reduced by adopting basic driving etiquette and considerate gestures like a friendly wave. On the hand, irritation can be caused when drivers horn or flash their lights unnecessarily. Let us adopt a give and take attitude, as long as safety is not compromised. As drivers, let us adopt a “drive safe and be courteous” mindset. Do be considerate to other road users, especially the more vulnerable groups. In this way, each of us can certainly help further reduce our road accident rate, and make driving in Singapore a more pleasant experience for all.
Rewarding Courteous Motorists
To recognise and reward considerate motorists, the Traffic Police will be presenting gifts and certificates of commendation to 200 courteous motorists in this year’s ‘Spot The Courteous Motorists’ programme which will be run for a duration of six months from today till 31 Dec 2010. These winning motorists will have exhibited road courtesy such as signaling early, giving way to others and not tail-gating. Courteous motoring behaviour is always commendable and when commended, will hopefully inspire other motorists to adopt safe and considerate motoring habits.
Appreciation to Sponsors
Last year’s milestone achievement of the lowest road accident fatality rate ever would not have been possible without the longstanding and committed support of stalwarts like the Singapore Totalisator Board, Singapore Pools Pte Ltd, Shell Companies in Singapore, The Shaw Foundation, Bridgestone Tyre Sales Singapore Pte Ltd, Mini Environment Service Pte Ltd and many others. All our Road Safety Public Education Programme and initiatives are undergirded by their strong support and generosity.
Conclusion
To all Singaporeans, I ask them to take a moment to reflect on their road behaviour, whether as driver, pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist. Identity two or three specific areas where you can improve. Write them down on a piece of paper and stick it where you can see it and be reminded constantly- whether in your car, or mirror in your bedroom, refrigerator in your kitchen or just beside your front door. Then, resolve each day when you start off from your home to put these areas right. Whilst Traffic Police has rolled out a comprehensive slew of measures to improve road safety, our road experience, ultimately, is only as safe or as pleasant, as each of us individually and all of us collectively, make it out to be. Think about that!
Remember: “The Best Gift to Your Loved Ones is Yourself. Make It Home Safely”. Thank you.
Topics: 2010, accidents, Asia, cars, children, community, cyclists, drivers, elderly, fatalities, fatigue, Governance, government, health care, Health Care, Ho Peng Kee, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, jay walking, moniter, monitor, motorcyclists, news, Pacific, pedestrians, Pillion Riders, road safety, Road Safety Outreach And Road Courtesy Campaign 2010, road users, safety outreach, schools, security, seniors, Singapore, society, students, traffic police, vehicles, walk
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