ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDESTRIANS AND MOTOR CYCLISTS (Particulars)

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many accidents involving pedestrians and motor cyclists have occurred since 1st January, 1980, up to the latest convenient date; (b) how many of them were fatal; and (c) what remedial measures his Ministry proposes to take to reduce such accidents.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, there were 3,397 accidents involving pedestrians and 10,963 accidents involving motor-cyclists between 1st January, 1980 and 30th June 1981. These accidents resulted in the death of 148 pedestrians and 133 motor-cyclists. This adds up to 281 pedestrians and motor-cyclists or 73% of the total of 385 persons killed in road accidents during that period.

Pedestrians and motor-cyclists are most vulnerable among road users. Of the 96 pedestrian deaths in 1980, 58 or 60.4% were those aged 60 years and above and children under 14 years of age. As for motor-cyclists, the death toll on the roads was 133 or 34.6% of total accident fatalities for the period 1st January 1980 to 30th June 1981.

Accident prevention requires a multi-faceted approach involving enforcement, education, training and provision of adequate road-crossing facilities. These measures must be applied to all road users. However, to reduce accidents involving pedestrians and motor-cyclists in particular, the Traffic Police will concentrate its effort on these two categories of road users. For the pedestrians the target groups are those 60 years and above and children under 14 years of age.

The Traffic Police is working closely with the Ministry of Education to make school children more aware of road safety. Since the East Coast Road Safety Park was opened in January this year, some 45,000 school children have undergone the road safety programme there, Another 85,000 students will participate in the programme by the end of 1981. 150,000 primary and secondary school students also attended audio visual presentations on road safety in 1980. This activity will continue.

As a result of poor eye-sight and other disabilities, the aged should be helped to cross roads. Since February 1981, five constituencies have conducted campaigns to help the aged cross the road. More constituencies should hold similar campaigns so that it can become an accepted social responsibility for the young and able-bodied to assist the aged to cross roads.

To promote road safety consciousness among motor-cyclists, a Safe Riding Course was initiated in December 1979, Between December 1979 and July 1980, about 1,000 motor-cyclists took part in the courses. Five more courses will be held from August - December 1981. However, this is not adequate.

With the transfer of the driving licensing function from the Registry of Vehicles to the Traffic Police, priority will be given to upgrade the riding skills of motor-cyclists. A comprehensive plan is being worked out. One of the measures is to require all motorcyclists holding provisional licences to take their riding tests within a specified period of time. The existing pre-Provisional Driving Licence course will be gradually upgraded to one that will provide a complete training programme on motor-cycle riding. It is planned that, by 1985, only qualified riders will be allowed on public roads.

Since April 1980, 27 overhead bridges have been built. Another 45 more will be completed soon. Eighty-one signalized pedestrian crossings are planned for this financial year. The "no crossing zone", which presently extends to 50 metres from a designated crossing under the Pedestrian Crossing Rules, will soon be increased to 100 metres.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the implementation of the measures vis-a-vis law enforcement, will it not impose a heavy strain on the Ministry of Home Affairs? If this is the case, does the Ministry of Home Affairs have sufficient manpower to implement the measures as enumerated by the Hon. Minister?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, the answer is that if we can get more manpower, of course, we welcome it. But I do not think that the implementation of these measures will impose a heavy burden on either the Ministry or the Traffic Police.