SUMMONSES FOR SEAT BELT OFFENCES

SUMMONSES FOR SEAT BELT OFFENCES:

(Numbers): 8.

Mr Arthur Fong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs for each year from 2005 to 2007 (a) how many motorists were summoned for seat belt infringements; (b) how many deaths were related to drivers and/or passengers not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident; and (c) how many motorists were given summonses for not securing infants (baby capsules) or children (booster seats when required) in vehicles.

The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, about 5,109 summonses were issued by Traffic Police in 2005 for seat belt offences compared to 3,973 summonses and 3,198 summonses in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Also, over the past three years, an average of four persons who died in road accidents were found to be not wearing seat belts, of whom three were drivers. It is not possible to state definitively that the deaths could have been avoided if the person had been wearing a seat belt, but it is clear that the wearing of seat belts reduces the risk of fatalities. Over the past three years, the number of summonses issued for failure to use child seat restraints or approved ones averaged around 30 summonses each year.

Mr Arthur Fong: Mr Speaker, Sir, notwithstanding the statistics and the law requiring the use of seat belt, it would appear that the enforcement of the law perhaps needs some stepping up. Not being caught does not mean that there are no violations on the road. Can the Minister assure us that there is some stepping up of this, as we have seen a lot of writers in the Forum stating that they

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have seen people on the road or parents being lackadaisical in putting their kids in seat belts?

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, I think this is one offence where personal responsibility on the part of wearing seat belts and parental accountability on the part of using a child restraint or child booster are paramount. Whilst the Police can enforce, unlike other offences where the offence is more visible, eg, moving vehicle or even illegal parking which tends to endanger other people, I think not wearing a seat belt is not so easy to detect and essentially is one where personal responsibility and personal or family safety are involved. Yes, indeed, the Police will enforce as it has done, but I will take this opportunity to call upon all Singaporeans, in particular in the light of the current debate on seat belt usage in other settings, to take this to heart and to say "what shall I do about it". Because if we do love our loved ones, including young children who may not have a choice as to whether or not, for example, to have child restraint, I think this is a very timely reminder to all of us that we can do more to ensure that this traffic rule is complied with.

Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Mr Speaker, Sir, I just wanted to ask the Minister whether the four deaths are due to not putting on the back-seat seat belts or not putting on the front-seat seat belts. The reason is because the public tends to be lax in terms of the back seats. If that is the case, then there is a targeted education on this part itself.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Public education is all-encompassing. Indeed, Mdm Cynthia Phua is right that some people may feel that if they are in the back seat they are safer, because they have got the front seat to buffer them. But we know that is not true because in a car accident, you can also be a projectile

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and endanger others in the car as well. Out of the average of four deaths over the past three years – I have mentioned the figures per year – about three were for drivers who were in the front seat and one for passengers in the back seat.