• The number of road traffic accidents in 2020 fell by 28.9 per cent to 5,555, from 7,822 in 2019
• Overall deaths and injuries caused by road traffic accidents also fell
• This was partly due to less road traffic during the pandemic
• Motorcyclists still comprised bulk of the victims in fatal accidents, while older pedestrians were over-represented among pedestrian fatalities
• The number of accidents due to speeding and drink-driving accidents resulting in deaths increased

SINGAPORE — Road traffic accidents, deaths and injuries all saw a marked decline last year compared with 2019. This was in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with roads less congested, especially during the circuit breaker last April and May when movement and activities were restricted.

However, there was a slight rise in accidents resulting from speeding and a sharp jump in the number of drink-driving accidents that led to deaths even though drink-driving accidents fell overall.

These figures were released by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) at its annual road traffic situation briefing on Wednesday (Feb 10).

The total number of road traffic accidents last year was 5,555, a 28.9 per cent drop from 2019.

There were 85 deaths resulting from road traffic accidents in 2020, the lowest in five years. In 2019, there were 118 such deaths.

The fatality rate was 1.49 deaths per 100,000 of population, by far the lowest level in the past decade. In 2019, it was 2.07 and in 2011, it was 3.76.

Commander of Traffic Police Gerald Lim said, however, that the low numbers for fatalities and fatality rate were both anomalous.

“We have to look at how it pans out this year, when the situation slowly goes back to normal,” he added.

Infographic: Samuel Woo/TODAY

Motorcyclists were the victims in 63 per cent of fatal accidents. Elders were also disproportionately represented among pedestrian fatalities — accounting for more than 80 per cent of those deaths.

However, even though they accounted for most of the fatal accidents in those respective categories, the total number of accidents that involved motorcyclists and seniors dropped.

The number of accidents involving older pedestrians dipped by 27.1 per cent to 234 in 2020, down from 321 the year before.

Motorcyclists were involved in 3,180 accidents, a 29.8 per cent fall from 4,531 cases in 2019.

DECREASE IN FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

• There were 82 fatal traffic accidents last year, a drop of 29.9 per cent

• The number of fatalities also fell by 28 per cent to 85 persons, the lowest in the past five years, with a peak of 141 fatalities in 2016

• However, the low numbers are “anomalies”, Mr Lim said, owing to less traffic during the pandemic

• He added that the Traffic Police will continue their engagement and education efforts as it is not certain whether the number of accidents and fatalities will increase in the coming years

DRINK-DRIVING AND RED-LIGHT-RUNNING

• The number of accidents resulting in injuries fell by 29 per cent to 5,473 cases, with the number of injured persons down by about one-third to 6,669 persons

• There were 146 accidents that resulted from drink-driving, a drop of 9.9 per cent

• The number of accidents due to running red lights also dropped by about one-third to 114 cases

JUMP IN FATAL DRINK-DRIVING, SPEEDING ACCIDENTS

• The number of accidents resulting from speeding increased by 3.1 per cent to 758 cases last year

• This increase could be due to roads appearing to be empty during the pandemic, especially during the circuit breaker, Mr Lim said

• Some drivers sped because they thought that there were no other road users around, he added

• The number of fatal drink-driving accidents also almost doubled from seven cases in 2019 to 13 in 2020

In the second half of this year, online mock theory tests will be available on the Traffic Police’s online learning site for free. Road users may use it to test their knowledge of traffic rules and road behaviour.

“We will continue to conduct our education and engagement efforts with road users and remind road users to remain safe while using the roads,” Mr Lim said.