'Forcing' drivers to slow down requires more than harsh penalties
Commentary: 'Forcing' drivers to slow down requires more than harsh penalties
After two recent fatal accidents involving children, it’s worth asking how we can compensate for human limitations to prevent tragic deaths on the road, say Yale-NUS’ Jean Liu and lawyer Bozy Lu.
SINGAPORE: The premature deaths of young children are always heartbreaking. There’s a deep sense of tragedy, as it goes against the natural order of things.
On Jan 23, 4-year-old Zara Mei Orlic was walking home from her preschool in River Valley when a car turned a bend and hit her. Barely one week later, a 12-year-old pedestrian was on the way home from school in Taman Jurong when a van collided with her.
Psychology research also tells us that we are rattled by the unpredictability of traffic accidents - particularly when they occur under everyday circumstances. We feel a loss of control, and shudder at the thought that it could happen to us.
Unfortunately, traffic accidents are more common than we think. Data from the Singapore Police Force indicates that traffic accidents leading to fatalities are on the rise. In the first half of 2023, the number of such accidents nearly doubled from 44 to 71, as compared to the same period in 2022.
While we cannot alter the outcomes of these accidents, it is always timely to ask what more we can do to improve road safety.
HARSHER PENALTIES AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
Harsher penalties are often top of mind. In both the River Valley and Taman Jurong accidents, the drivers were arrested for alleged careless driving causing death. Both investigations are ongoing.
Under the Road Traffic Act, careless driving causing death is an offence carries a penalty of up to three years imprisonment and/or fine of up to S$10,000 for a first-time offender. In Singapore, the Road Traffic Act underwent significant amendments in 2019 and 2021. Longer jail terms, higher fine sums and greater disqualification periods were introduced to deter irresponsible and dangerous driving.
Studies in other countries have found that the rate of accidents decreases when penalties are raised - but only moderately.
Stiffer punitive measures also do not impact the tragic consequences of a traffic accident. There’s a sense of unfairness: A life is lost and loved ones are left to grapple with an eternal absence; or victims continue to bear the burden of residual disabilities resulting from their injuries, long after offenders have served their sentences and moved on.
The discussion then turns to that truism “prevention is better than cure” and the need for public education to prevent accidents before they occur.
Over the years, Singapore has introduced various initiatives to educate the public on “RoadSense” - as the traffic police calls it in road safety campaigns.
Since 1981, primary school children have taken on field trips to the Road Safety Community Park, which recreates a road setting to familiarise them with road markings, traffic lights and zebra crossings. The park will soon undergo redevelopment “to adapt to the evolving road and traffic environment”.
There are also roadshows and other campaigns, like the annual Anti-Drink Drive campaign and the Singapore Road Safety Month.
LIMITS OF HUMAN COGNITIVE CAPACITY
Although we have in place strong penalties and road safety education, neither is sufficient to prevent another tragedy.
Legal and educational solutions assume that accidents occur because drivers and pedestrians lack the knowledge or motivation to navigate safely. Consequently, the solutions target errant individuals who knowingly flout traffic rules - for example, drivers who deliberately exceed the speed limit or pedestrians who blatantly jaywalk.
By contrast, many accident reports indicate that errors occur because drivers and pedestrians have limited cognitive capacity as they continually assess and navigate the changing traffic conditions.
Drivers may fail to notice a pedestrian because they were not paying attention, or misjudged a pedestrian’s intentions.
"TRAFFIC CALMING" MEASURES FOR OUR HUMAN LIMITATIONS
When we are faced with the limits of human cognitive capacity, it is not enough to rely on the vigilance of individual road users.
Instead, we need to proactively design our roads, using “traffic calming” infrastructure to shape driving behaviours and compensate for human limitations.
The idea of traffic calming predates the invention of modern-day vehicles. In the ancient city of Pompeii, archaeologists have found evidence that raised crosswalks were installed to regulate traffic.
Today, traffic calming infrastructure continues to use the physical design of roads to direct traffic flow. Most commonly, obstructions are placed on roads to force drivers to slow down. This may involve measures such as raising road segments with speed bumps or raised crosswalks, implementing uneven surfaces or narrowing the road.
Studies have found that installing traffic calming features can slow traffic by 20 to 80 per cent. In turn, these features have reduced traffic injuries and deaths in cities around the world.
In the case of the River Valley accident, residents in the area have appealed for more traffic calming measures for the neighbourhood. Those who spoke to TODAY described a bend that creates a blind spot for drivers going down the “steep” incline of Institution Hill and that “there’s no proper crossing” for pedestrians.
In the case of the Taman Jurong accident, along Yuan Ching Road in the vicinity of two schools, residents said it was more convenient to jaywalk as the nearest traffic light crossings were “too far”.
GETTING SAFELY TO OUR DESTINATIONS
In light of the two recent traffic accidents, we need to pursue a multi-pronged approach to prevent the further loss of lives.
While we urge individuals to obey traffic laws, we must also empower communities through traffic calming measures. This strategy combines individual responsibility with systemic change, reflecting the different causes of traffic accidents.
After all, road safety is no accident and should be a journey, not a final destination.
Jean Liu is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Yale-NUS College and the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. Bozy Lu is a graduate from Yale-NUS College with a double major in law and psychology. She is a practising lawyer and partner at Han & Lu Law Chambers LLP, specialising in road accident claims and community law. This commentary reflects the authors’ personal opinions and does not constitute legal advice.