Rise In Motorbike Deaths Last Year
By Selina Lum
Singapore, 2 April 2001 -- Almost half of those killed on the road last year were on motorcycles.
And of the long list of people injured in traffic accidents last year, more than half were on motorbikes.
Motorcyclists and their pillion riders continue to be the most vulnerable road users, despite the fact that motorbikes make up only one in five vehicles on the roads.
Last year, 99 of the 215 people who died in road crashes were motorcyclists or pillion riders, according to figures released by the Traffic Police yesterday.
This represents a 16.5-per-cent increase on 1999, when 85 lives were lost in motorcycle accidents.
The statistics also showed that about 52 per cent of people injured in accidents were motorcyclists and pillion riders - and the figure is on the rise.
There were 5,031 motorcycle users hurt in accidents last year, compared to 4,382 in 1999.
The rising number of motorcycle fatalities contributed to an 8.6-per-cent increase in the number of traffic-accident deaths last year, compared to 1999.
Sixty pedestrians were killed on the road last year, four more than in 1999.
Car and bicycle fatalities bucked this trend.
The number of motorists and passengers killed last year dropped from 30 in 1999 to 22, and 15 cyclists died in road accidents last year, compared to 19 in 1999.
The Traffic Police said last year's road statistics were the second lowest in 25 years. The lowest were in 1999.
There were three fatal accidents per 10,000 vehicles last year compared to 2.8 per 10,000 in 1999.
Last year, traffic accidents caused 5.4 deaths per 100,000 people. In 1999, the rate was 5.1.
Source: The Straitstimes Interactive, Singapore
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