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The mid-year traffic situation report by the police released last week reveals three areas of concern: elderly pedestrian deaths, drink driving, and speeding. While fewer people were killed in traffic accidents on Singapore roads in the first half of this year, the number of elderly pedestrian deaths has almost doubled from last year. Between January and June, 45 people were killed in 44 fatal road accidents. This is 13 fewer fatalities than the 58 deaths in 52 accidents in the first half of 2021. But while fewer traffic accident deaths were recorded in the first half of 2022, elderly pedestrian deaths increased, from five in the first half of 2021 to nine in the same period this year.
Clearly, this rise is worrying. Elderly pedestrians must know how vulnerable they are to fast-moving vehicular traffic. Physical faculties, including eyesight and normal reflexes, decline with age, but traffic flows necessarily follow rules meant for all. The elderly should be encouraged – and here their families should play a role – to take commensurate steps to protect themselves. These include avoiding jaywalking – which accounts for half the number of fatal accidents involving the elderly – and using overhead bridges or pedestrian crossings. The elderly, like everybody else, should be alert to the possibility of inattentive drivers even when they walk across designated pedestrian crossing areas. It is a good idea to wear light-coloured clothing or to carry some reflective material when walking at night. It is also unsafe to cross at road bends, where pedestrians cannot see oncoming vehicles. It is equally good practice to cross from an area where there is a full view of both sides of the road. Just as seniors need to be responsible road users, the onus must rest on drivers and riders, too, to play their part by being more watchful and alert.
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