Traffic and Pedestrian Accidents Related to Mobile Phone Usage

43 Mr Zainal Sapari asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of road accidents related to the use of mobile phones or other personal electronic devices by pedestrians in the last three years; (b) what efforts are made to educate pedestrians on the dangers of using such electronic devices while walking; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider banning the use of personal electronic devices by pedestrians while they are walking or using the roads.

Mr K Shanmugam: The number of road accidents involving pedestrians has remained fairly stable over the past three years, with an average of 952 such accidents. We do not have the breakdown of the number of accidents that are related to the use of mobile phones or personal electronic devices.

It is not practical to ban the use of electronic devices by pedestrians when they are walking or crossing the road. A better approach is to instil good road safety habits in road-users.

In this regard, the Traffic Police conducts outreach programmes to raise road safety awareness. Such educational and engagement efforts include road safety training for the public, as well as talks and exhibitions at schools and community events.

Last year, the Traffic Police introduced the "Use Your RoadSense" movement to inculcate good road behaviour and practices amongst all road users, including pedestrians. This includes the importance of pedestrians remaining alert to their surroundings and not be distracted when using the roads.