ACCIDENTS INVOLVING LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

ACCIDENTS INVOLVING LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

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(Statistics): **

54.

Assoc. Prof. Kalyani K Mehta asked the Minister for Transport in light of the speed limit increase for light commercial vehicles from March 2005 (a) whether he will provide statistics on accidents involving such vehicles from (i) March 2003 to February 2005 and (ii) March 2005 to February 2007; and (b) if there is a marked increase in accidents following the speed limit change, whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the current speed limit and reduce it for better safety on the roads.

Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat: The Land Transport Authority (LTA), in consultation with the Traffic Police, regularly reviews vehicle speed limits taking into consideration advancement in vehicle technology, road design, and the prevailing traffic conditions including accident trends.

In March 2005, the LTA raised the speed limit for light commercial vehicles (LCVs), comprising light goods vehicles and small buses with seating capacity of up to 15 passengers, from 60 kilometres per hour (km/h) to 70km/h. The revision in speed limit serves to improve traffic flow on our expressways.

Traffic accident statistics showed that the annual average accident rate of LCVs on expressways during the two years before and after the change in speed limit have remained the same, at about 12 accidents per 10,000 vehicles.

For accident cases involving fatalities and serious injuries, the statistics showed a slight drop after the change in speed limit, from 0.32 and 0.16 per 10,000 vehicles respectively, to 0.31 and 0.10 per 10,000 vehicles.

Drivers have to play their part in ensuring safety by driving carefully at a safe speed. The LTA and the Traffic Police will continue to monitor the situation on the roads closely and if necessary, step up enforcement against vehicles that exceed the speed limit.

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