Chee Hong Tat: Junctions with RAG arrows have shown a 40% reduction in traffic accidents

SINGAPORE: In a written parliamentary answer on Wednesday (7 Aug), Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat stated that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has implemented several measures to enhance road safety.

These measures include utilizing accident reports from the Traffic Police to execute localized road safety movements, implementing the Red-Amber-Green (RAG) system to reduce traffic accidents, and organizing road safety events and campaigns.

During the parliamentary inquiry, Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, a People’s Action Party Member of Parliament for Chua Chu Kang GRC, asked whether the LTA had recently reviewed road or traffic junctions that are more prone to fatal accidents due to factors such as design or speed limits.

He further inquired if the Ministry could increase awareness or place prominent warnings in these accident-prone areas to alert motorists and other road users.

In response, Minister Chee explained that the LTA continually uses data from various sources, including traffic accident reports from the Traffic Police and feedback from local communities and road users, to implement localized road safety enhancements, particularly at accident hotspots.

He highlighted that since 2018, the LTA has progressively implemented RAG arrows to replace discretionary right turns at over 1,200 traffic junctions.

Junctions with RAG arrows have shown a 40% reduction in traffic accidents.

“The work is ongoing and will extend to more traffic junctions,” he added.

Minister Chee also mentioned that the Traffic Police, the Singapore Road Safety Council, and the LTA have been putting up road safety signs and banners to alert motorists to slow down and remind pedestrians to cross safely at busy roads and junctions.

Additionally, road safety events and campaigns are organized to promote road safety and enhance outreach to the public.

Road safety measures and fatal accident statistics in Singapore

In April 2024, Singapore experienced a fatal road accident at the intersection of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4, resulting in two fatalities: a 17-year-old student who was a passenger in one of the cars involved, and a 57-year-old woman who was in the van.

The driver responsible for the crash has been charged and is currently out on S$30,000 bail.

Despite this, in a parliamentary session on 7 May, Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Transport, stated that the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4 was designed with international safety standards in mind.

Khor reassured Parliament that the Tampines junction provides a sufficient line of sight for road users, with appropriate road kerbs, lane markings, and arrow indicators installed conspicuously.

She highlighted the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) ongoing efforts to enhance road safety, including the implementation of Red-Amber-Green (RAG) arrows at over 1,200 traffic junctions since 2018.

“Junctions with RAG arrows have shown a 40 percent reduction in traffic accidents. The work is ongoing and will extend to more traffic junctions,” she said.

According to data from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) Annual Road Traffic Situation 2023, the number of traffic accidents resulting in fatalities increased by 26.0%, from 104 cases in 2022 to 131 cases in 2023.

The number of fatalities increased by 25.9%, from 108 persons in 2022 to 136 persons in 2023.

However, the number of red-light running accidents decreased by 18.2%, from 137 cases in 2022 to 112 cases in 2023, and the number of speeding-related accidents also decreased by 45.2%, from 1,138 cases in 2022 to 624 cases in 2023.

Despite these reductions, the number of fatal accidents due to red-light running and speeding increased, with red-light running fatal accidents rising from 3 cases in 2022 to 8 cases in 2023, and speeding-related fatal accidents increasing from 18 cases in 2022 to 33 cases in 2023.

Motorcyclists and elderly pedestrians (aged 60 and above) are the most vulnerable groups of road users and continue to account for a disproportionate number of traffic accidents resulting in injuries or death.