SINGAPORE – Traffic accidents claimed the lives of 71 people in Singapore in the first half of 2023, a 57.8 per cent jump from the 45 killed in the same period in 2022.

The number of fatal accidents increased by 61.4 per cent to 71, from 44 between January and June last year, the latest mid-year traffic situation report released by the police on Monday showed.

Among the fatalities in the first half of 2023, almost half, or 32, were motorcyclists and pillion riders, and 17 were elderly pedestrians aged 60 and above. This number of elderly pedestrian deaths was almost double that of the nine in the first half of 2022, and accounted for 68 per cent of all pedestrians killed in the first half of 2023.

Accidents that resulted in injuries rose by 11.1 per cent, from 3,125 in the first half of 2022 to 3,471 in the same period in 2023.

More people were also injured – 4,479 in the first half of 2023 compared with 3,841 in that period in 2022.

In January, a 31-year-old man was killed after the GetGo car he was driving collided with an SBS Transit bus in Yishun. Six bus passengers were taken to hospital and discharged on the same day. A seventh was reportedly also injured, but not taken to hospital.

While there was a drop in the number of cases involving running red lights and speeding, the number of fatal accidents related to these two violations went up.

There were six fatal accidents from motorists running the red light in the first half of 2023 compared with one in the corresponding period in 2022, even as the number of such violations fell to 16,143 from last year’s 23,645 – a 31.7 per cent drop.

The number of speeding-related accidents and speeding violations fell. Speeding-related accidents dropped by 33.5 per cent from 505 in the first half of 2022 to 336 in the corresponding months in 2023 and, in the same time period, speeding violations fell by 23.2 per cent, from 69,936 to 53,698.

However, the number of fatal speeding-related accidents more than doubled, from six to 13.

Accidents involving elderly pedestrians remain a concern, said the police.

The number of injured elderly pedestrians rose from 112 in the first half of 2022 to 128 in 2023. Over a third, or 37.2 per cent, of the accidents involving elderly pedestrians in the first half of 2023 were due to jaywalking.

The police said: “Whilst the Traffic Police will continue to educate the elderly to use designated crossings, we would like to encourage family members and friends to also remind them.”

On Oct 22, the Traffic Police will launch an initiative called Reward the Pedestrians. Under this programme, pedestrians spotted displaying good road safety habits will be rewarded with a goodie bag.

Driving under the influence of alcohol was another area of concern, with the number of fatal accidents involving this violation doubling from three in the first half of 2022 to six in the same period in 2023.

Despite a slight dip in the number of arrests for drink driving – from 790 in the first half of 2022 to 785 in 2023 – drink-driving accidents increased by 21.4 per cent, from 70 to 85 in the same time period.

The Traffic Police will launch an Anti-Drink Drive campaign in November to remind motorists to be responsible and not drive after consuming alcohol.

Between January and June, more than half of the traffic accidents – or 51.8 per cent – involved motorcyclists and their pillion riders. There were 1,834 accidents involving motorcyclists, an increase from 1,751 in the first half of 2022.

More motorcyclists and pillion riders were injured in the first half of 2023 compared with the same period in 2022, with the figure rising from 1,877 to 2,035.

The 32 fatalities in this group in 2023 were also an increase from 2022’s figure of 25.

The top causes of accidents involving motorcyclists and pillion riders were failing to keep a proper lookout, failing to have proper control of the motorcycle, and changing lanes without due care, the police said.

Motorcyclists will be reminded to adopt safe riding habits and wear protective riding gear when the Traffic Police launch their Singapore Ride Safe campaign in October.

Singapore Road Safety Council chairman Bernard Tay said the statistics for the first half of 2023 are grim when compared with last year’s.

He highlighted the rise in the number of elderly pedestrian fatalities, and noted that more than a third of accidents involving elderly pedestrians were due to jaywalking.

Mr Tay suggested that signs be put up in places where the accidents happened, or areas where jaywalking is common, “to discourage jaywalking and remind pedestrians of the dangers of it”.

A spokesman for road safety advocacy group Roads.sg said while increasing awareness among the elderly of the dangers of jaywalking remains paramount, more can be done to educate vehicle drivers.

“Entitlement by drivers stems from a lack of graciousness, and this leads to an increase in the number of accidents when users do not give way or feel that they are entitled to the right of way,” he said.

“This behaviour is unhealthy for building a healthy road-using community and needs to be addressed.”

Mr Tay said: “Road safety is a shared responsibility. Everyone has a part to play. We should change our mindset to look after each other on our roads and follow the traffic rules.”