Slam the brakes on truck deaths

In 2011, 83 heavy commercial vehicles and buses were involved in fatal accidents, a 10-year high. Tougher action is needed to make the roads safer, including fining the company, not just the driver.

By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 31 Jan 2013

IF 200 people died a year from construction safety lapses, botched medical procedures or bad food hygiene, there would have been a huge public outcry that would likely result in tighter regulations, more earnest enforcement and stiffer penalties.

But yearly, that many people die from road accidents. They include motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. And yet, there is no real uproar, and hardly any significant moves to tackle the unnecessary loss of lives beyond the regular campaigns.

Instead, Singapore consoles itself on having a relatively low road fatality rate for its vehicle population: around 20 per 100,000 vehicles.

Even then, it is not a huge consolation. Japan's rate is between six and seven per 100,000 vehicles - the lowest in Asia.

Observers credit Japan's performance to a concerted public-private effort.

The country has been setting targets to lower road deaths since 1971. In 2011, there were 4,611 deaths on Japanese roads, the 11th yearly drop in a row. Its target is to bring this to below 3,000 by 2015, and fewer than 2,500 by 2018.

If the Singapore authorities have similar targets, they are keeping those numbers to themselves.

Over the years, however, there have been calls for improvements to be made in the area of road safety.

Common ones of late include dedicated bicycle paths on the road, and the fitting of effective speed limiters on heavy vehicles.

The two young boys who died on Monday when a cement truck ran into them as they crossed a traffic junction on a bicycle will certainly bring these calls into focus again.

That particular tragedy puts the spotlight on two groups of road users with inordinately high fatalities compared with their population.

In 2011, commercial vehicles and buses - which accounted for 18.5 per cent of the total vehicle population - made up 29.1 per cent of the 327 vehicles involved in fatal road accidents.

In contrast, cars (including taxis) - which accounted for 66.2 per cent of the population - made up 27.5 per cent of vehicles involved in fatal accidents.

In other words, although the number of commercial vehicles and buses is less than one-third that of cars, they were involved in more fatal accidents.

Cyclists' plight

THE other pertinent group is cyclists. Singapore's bicycle population is unknown, as bicycles do not require registration. But most road users will agree that they are still a relatively rare sight on busy public roads despite the rising popularity of cycling. Even so, they accounted for 5.5 per cent of vehicles involved in fatal accidents in 2011.

As a group of road users killed, cyclists equalled the 15 car occupants - drivers and passengers - who died on the road in 2011.

So clearly, efforts to improve road safety - which are never isolated but multi-pronged - must be targeted at these two groups.

To be sure, there is no shortage of suggestions.

One popular call is for a dedicated road space for cyclists. But this is a costly measure, especially in land-scarce Singapore. But one wonders if the trade-off - chiefly, a drop in road efficiency - will be worth it. More pertinently, will such an initiative be effective in reducing cyclist deaths?

And if it is, will others call for dedicated road space for motorcyclists, who form the other vulnerable group on the road?

Thus, having dedicated lanes or road space may not be always the most practical solution.

Heavy vehicles

WHAT about the benefits of speed limiters? These have been in use in heavy vehicles in Singapore for over 12 years. But the types adopted here are easily tampered with and have been proven largely ineffective.

Today, the newer generation of limiters are often coupled with satellite-tracking devices, allowing fleet owners or the authorities to check if a driver has been speeding.

The Traffic Police have been reviewing the use of speed limiters since 2007, but nothing has come of the review.

Not only that, speed limits of commercial vehicles were raised by 10kmh in 2001; and they were no longer required to have a roof-top light that flashes once they breach their limits.

While the Traffic Police conduct regular anti-speeding operations targeted at heavy vehicles, more needs to be done, judging by the rate of fatal accidents they have been involved in. In 2011, 83 heavy vehicles and buses were involved in fatal accidents - a 10-year high. The figure was a 65 per cent increase over 2002's number, outstripping the 8 per cent rise in overall vehicles involved in fatal accidents.

Of course speeding is just one risk factor. Inattentive drivers are another - including those who use mobile devices while on the go. The sharp rise in construction activities could yet be another.

So what can be done to tackle this scourge?

One option is to have a penalty system similar to what is applied to worksite safety: If there is a breach, the company is penalised.

Today, only the driver pays.

A hefty penalty system will encourage companies to ensure their drivers are not rushing to clock as many jobs as possible. And to ensure they are well-rested so as not to lose concentration at the wheel. And not to use the phone while driving.

"Hefty" means something really punitive - like revenue-based fines which the Land Transport Authority is finalising for train breakdowns.

You can imagine the chorus of protests from businesses, which will no doubt say such a move will only raise costs, as they will have to hire more drivers. Well, accidents are costly too, and not just in a monetary sense.

Elsewhere, the Automobile Association of Singapore has been lobbying for the road network here to be audited by an independent safety body. The goal is not so much as to find fault, but to look at areas for improvement.

The idea was mooted years ago, but did not gain traction. The association is trying again this year. Hopefully, the plan will get off the ground this time.

To be sure, there is no silver bullet to tackle road deaths. It takes several measures, taken by various parties - sustained over a period of time - to result in tangible gains.

Singapore is not alone in facing the challenge. According to the United Nations, nearly 1.3 million people die worldwide each year as a result of road accidents. Another 20 million to 50 million suffer injuries.

All these statistics are tragic. What's more tragic though, is that many are preventable.