Motor Vehicle Accidents Involving Injury or Death of Elderly

71 Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Transport over the past three years (a) what proportion of motor vehicle accidents involving elderly pedestrians resulted in (i) serious injuries or (ii) fatalities; and (b) what plans will the Ministry put in place to further enhance the safety of road crossings and reduce the incidence of such accidents.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: From January 2013 to August 2016, 4% of motor vehicle accidents involving elderly pedestrians resulted in serious injuries and 11% in fatality.

To enhance road safety for pedestrians, especially seniors, the Land Transport Authority introduced the Silver Zone programme in 2014. In the nine locations where Silver Zones have been implemented, so far, only one accident involving seniors has occurred, compared to more than 40 accidents in the five-year period preceding Silver Zones. We plan to expand to 50 locations in total by 2023. We have also introduced and are expanding other road safety features for seniors, such as the Green Man Plus programme, and road dividers at pedestrian crossings which allow seniors to pause safely in the middle of the road before resuming their crossing.