2 in 5 drivers feel less safe in Singapore's roads: study

6 in 10 admitted that they themselves committed risky road behaviours in Q1 2018.

Although majority (81%) of drivers think that roads in Singapore are ‘quite safe’ or ‘very safe’, 48% of the drivers have admitted that they feel less safe in driving around Singapore compared to three years ago, a study by Axa Insurance revealed.

Seven in 10 (72%) of the respondents cited the presence of ‘more aggressive drivers’ as their main reason for thinking that they feel less safe in driving around the city-state. They also think that more non-drivers such as PMD users and cyclists (70%) as well as the growing number of private-hire vehicles (57%) made them feel less safe compared to three years ago.

The study also found that 60% of drivers around Singapore admitted to committing risky road behaviours in Q1 2018. Amongst them are going through an amber light (29%), driving at a speed of more than 10km/hour above the limit (25%), and not completely stopping at zebra crossings (25%).

Separately, 55% of the respondents think positively of the increase in PMDs and bicycles, noting that said schemes make commuting easier (74%), enhance health and well-being for Singaporeans through increased physical activity (60%), as well as make roads less congested (38%).

"However, many are also concerned about the potential risks, with around three in four saying that they make sidewalks more dangerous (78%), more congested (77%), and contribute to more accidents (72%)," the study noted.

Meanwhile, when asked about the introduction of ride-sharing services in Singapore 8 in 10 viewed the scheme positively citing that they made commuting easier (86%) and reduced congestion on the roads (30%). Some echoed however that ride-sharing services paved way for road accidents (48%) and made commuting less safe (45%).

The AXA Mobility Survey 2018 studied the responses of 812 Singaporean road users from private car owners, taxi drivers, motorcyclists, to commercial drivers, private-hire car drivers, cyclists (including bike-sharers), personal mobility device (PMD) riders and pedestrians.