Slamming the brakes when a speed camera or traffic cop
is spotted may not spare you a ticket anymore.
New speed cameras that track how quickly motorists are
going over a distance will be rolled out in the first quarter next
year, starting with Tanah Merah Coast Road – a stretch frequently
used by heavy vehicles and cyclists.
This new two-point system, which records the time a
vehicle takes to travel between two points to compute its average
speed within the enforcement zone, was announced by the Traffic
Police (TP) on Wednesday (Feb 15), as it released annual
statistics. The move comes despite an improved speeding situation
last year. Accidents involving speeding fell by 10.4 per cent to
1,081, while the number of these killing someone fell from 48 to
40.
Meanwhile, TP noted that the safety of elderly
pedestrians on the roads has become a “key concern”. Accidents
involving pedestrians older than 60 rose by 19.6 per cent to 268.
The number of deaths on the roads among this group also jumped 21.7
per cent to 28. The TP said 16 of these deaths resulted from
jaywalking while the rest had other causes, such as motorists
failing to keep a proper lookout.
The TP said it has been working with 111 senior
activity centres in an effort to raise awareness of road safety
among the elderly using a "road master test kit" which helps the
elderly assess their eyesight, hearing, and reaction time.
It has also worked with the Land Transport Authority to
put up more road signs for motorists to keep a look out for elderly
in neighbourhoods with a higher population of old people. New signs
have recently been installed at Tiong Bahru Road, for instance.
Overall, 2016 recorded 140 road fatalities
— bringing the fatality rate down to 2.51 in 100,000 persons,
the lowest fatality rate since recording started in 1981. But road
accidents resulting in injuries went up 2.7 per cent to 8,277 — up
from 8,058 in 2015.
Drink-driving related accidents fell by 2.9 per cent to
138, while those arrested for drink-driving also dropped by 7.9 per
cent — from 2,303 in 2015 to 2,121 last year.
todayonline