Road safety constitutes a public health issue in every nation as it affects the life of every citizen who is a road user.

The authorities spare no effort in public education campaigns to teach road safety, but there will always be someone who will throw caution to the wind and insist they are king of the road – regardless of the traffic situation.

Witness the hordes of people jaywalking across Orchard Road every weekend. Read about the reckless driver who beat the red light, only to crash into an oncoming car.

The 2007 Traffic Police report about the road traffic situation said that the number of fatal and injury-causing accidents went up from 7,499 incidents in 2006 to 8,323 last year. The number of deaths rose from 190 to 219.

Singapore has one of the worst road-fatality records among developed countries. In 2005, there were 2.3 deaths for every 10,000 vehicles here, compared with 0.8 in Japan, 1.2 in Australia and 1.8 in the United States. In 2006, the figure rose to 2.4 deaths for every 10,000 vehicles.

The responsibility for road safety does not lie with any one group of road users – it is a shared duty. I think the danger lies when people develop a selfish or “bo chap” mentality and think that it’s other people’s duty to keep a lookout for them

For motorists
Stay within the speed limitAt high speeds, the impact of a crash will be more severe, resulting in greater damage or injury. Not just the driver and his passengers are at risk, but innocent bystanders too.

Give way
Let pedestrians have the right of way at zebra crossings. And wait for them to reach the pavement before moving off.

Show your intent
It is only courteous to signal to show your intention to turn, change lanes or stop. It gives other road users ample time to react to your actions.

Pay attention
Give your full attention to the road because you need to be constantly aware of changing traffic conditions. The driver’s seat is NOT the place and time to apply make-up, eat, read or use your mobile phone.

For pedestrians
Don’t jaywalk
Cross at designated places, and only when it’s safe to do so. Don’t be so engrossed with your mobile phone that you fail to realise that the green man has turned red and you are holding up traffic.