PUBLISHED ONAugust 29, 2025 7:00 AMBYChing Shi JieInjuries and deaths from traffic accidents in Singapore grew in the first half of 2025, increasing by 4.3 per cent from the same period in 2024.
In its mid-year report on the traffic situation in Singapore, the police said on Friday (Aug 29) that there were 4,860 hurt and 79 killed on the roads from January to June this year.
In comparison, there were 4,665 injuries and 72 deaths during the same period in 2024.
"[The] increase in the number of road traffic accidents and casualties in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 — continuing the upward trend observed over the past three years," said the police.
Contributing to the hike is a rise in the number of accidents involving elderly pedestrians aged 65 and above, as well as motorcyclists and pillion riders, according to police statistics.
The first half of this year saw an increase in the number of pedestrian-related accidents involving seniors, climbing to 116 from 98 in the same period last year.
Consequently, the death toll surged by 150 per cent, from six in the first six months of 2024 to 15 in 2025.
Seniors also accounted for 78.9 per cent of all pedestrian fatalities in the first half of 2025.
The police said that nearly half — 43.1 per cent — of elderly pedestrian accidents were due to jaywalking.
“While TP (Traffic Police) will continue with our public education efforts for the elderly, we need family members, caregivers and friends to support our efforts by constantly reminding them of road safety messages, particularly on the dangers of jaywalking,” it added.
There was also an increase in the number of accidents involving motorcyclists in the first half of 2025. It grew by 9.5 per cent to 2,088, from 1,907 accidents in the same period last year.
While the number of deaths dipped slightly by one to 43 in the first half of 2025, police said that motorcyclists and pillion riders “continue to be disproportionately represented” in traffic fatalities, making up 54.4 per cent of all people killed on the road.
More motorcyclists and pillion riders were hurt, from 2,164 in the first half of 2024 to 2,323 in 2025.
In all, they were involved in 54.7 per cent of all traffic accidents in the first half of 2025, with the top three causes included failing to keep a proper lookout, failing to have proper control and changing lanes without due care.
Another area of concern is speeding.
The police said that the number of speeding-related violations surged by 45.5 per cent from 81,141 in the first half of 2024 to 118,076 this year.
The number of accidents related to speeding, however, went down, from 269 to 236 in the same period.
The police said more motorists are caught speeding due to increased detections by speed enforcement cameras, and from red-light cameras since their speed enforcement function was activated on April 2024.
There are currently six types of cameras — both static and mobile — which the police use to detect and identify speeding vehicles.
Motorists caught speeding will also receive heavier penalties from January 1, 2026, with more demerit points and higher composition sums for such offences.
Home Affairs minister K Shanmugam said in February he hopes the stiffer penalties for speeding will “change or shape behaviour”.
“People are dying and getting injured on our roads. Every vehicle is a potential missile in the roads — it's dangerous if you don't use it properly,” he added.
Also up was the number of drink-driving arrests, from 818 in the first half of 2024 to 862 in 2025.
Drink-driving accidents saw a dip of 18.5 per cent, from 92 to 75 in the same time period.
Fewer motorists ran red lights, from 17,508 cases in the first half of 2024 to 13,073 in 2025.
But the number of accidents caused by the running of red lights went up, from 47 to 65 in the same period.
To better detect errant motorists, the police announced on Friday that it will begin testing new traffic violation enforcement cameras, with a phased roll-out planned islandwide over the coming months.
The cameras will “enhance enforcement” against technical traffic violations which can lead to serious accidents, said the police. These include illegal U-turns and crossing double white lines.
“The cameras will be painted prominently in orange and white livery, similar to current traffic enforcement cameras, making them highly visible to motorists,” it added.
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