Watch out for inattentive drivers

Failure to keep proper lookout is the main cause of accidents in last 5 years

By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 6 Jun 2012

THE top cause of road accidents in Singapore which result in death or injuries is not speeding or drink driving.

It is inattentiveness, according to statistics from Traffic Police.

Over a five-year period from 2007 to last year, 'failing to keep a proper lookout' has consistently accounted for about one-third of all causes. The Traffic Police said this shortcoming includes a driver not spotting a pedestrian or another road user.

It is followed closely by 'failing to have proper control' of a vehicle (18.5 per cent) and 'failing to give way to traffic with right of way' (13.2 per cent).

Although running a red light makes up only about 5 per cent of all causes in the period, it is the fourth-highest cause of fatalities.

Last year, 197 people were killed on the road.

Singapore Road Safety Council chairman Bernard Tay said statistics point to 'too many motorists with bad and dangerous driving/ riding habits and attitudes'.

He added that motorists should conduct a self-evaluation. 'Ask yourself if you have accelerated on seeing the amber light when approaching an intersection... If your answer is 'yes', we urge you to take immediate action to cut out this bad, unsafe habit.'

The spotlight has fallen on drivers running the red light since two high-profile accidents were caught on camera last month.

On May 12, a man ran a red light and crashed his Ferrari into a cab on Victoria Street. The driver, the cabby and his passenger died. Two weeks later, a Lexus driver - later charged with drink driving - ran a red light there. His car hit a cab and the passenger was hurt.

Indeed, motorists said they are seeing more drivers running the red light. Cardiologist Leslie Lam, 68, said: 'I witnessed three accidents at traffic lights because of people who ran the red light in the last two months... Running the red light seems to be an accepted norm in Singapore. I see it almost at every traffic junction.'

Audi Singapore managing director Reinhold Carl, 57, who has lived here for five years, said he regularly sees motorists not stopping when the red light comes on.

He also said drivers tend to ignore speed limits in the city. 'In Germany, we drive fast on the autobahn but speed limits in the city are very strictly enforced.'

Another worrying trend is pedestrians crossing the road without heeding traffic. Traffic Police statistics list this as the top cause of fatal/injury accidents in the last five years for pedestrians.

Nearly 40 per cent of such accidents attributable to pedestrians were caused by jaywalking or crossing without looking.

Although the number of road fatalities in Singapore is considered low at about 200 a year, the figure in relation to its vehicle population of about 950,000 is three times Japan's rate. Last year, Japan had 4,611 road fatalities, or over six per 100,000 vehicles - the lowest in Asia.

A Traffic Police spokesman urged all drivers to stay alert.