I don’t mind being put out of a job if that means nobody dies on our roads: Traffic Police officer
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TP Inspector Mohamed Yazid Mohamed Yusoff believes every accident can be avoided and road users must understand that roads are meant to be shared.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
SINGAPORE – When Traffic Police (TP) Inspector Mohamed Yazid Mohamed Yusoff arrived at the scene of a road accident in Tampines in 2020, his heart sank. Lying among the debris were the toys of a five-year-old girl and her kick scooter, which was, coincidentally, similar to the one his son, also aged five, has.
The only differences were that the girl’s scooter was pink, and it was covered in blood.
His worst fears were confirmed when he learnt she had died.
Singapore’s roads are now at their most dangerous in years, with traffic deaths hitting a 10-year high of 149 in 2025, compared with 141 in 2016.
Insp Yazid, who spent six years at TP’s fatal accident investigation team, said: “It was heartbreaking to see her parents crying in hospital. I thought, if that had been my child, I don’t know how I’d react.”
Now officer-in-charge of the general investigation team, Insp Yazid told The Straits Times in March about the fatal road traffic accidents that impacted him while he was investigating them.
The girl died when the van her grandfather was driving collided with several cars before hitting a barricade.
She had been sitting at the back with her grandmother, who died less than a week later.
A five-year-old girl and her grandmother died following a road accident in Tampines in 2020.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
The grandfather was fined $8,000 and disqualified from driving for eight years for driving without due care and attention, causing death.
Insp Yazid said the victims usually sat in the front. But that day, the girl wanted to sit with her kick scooter at the back.
“Had they sat in front, they probably would be alive today,” said Insp Yazid.
The image of the bloodied kick scooter is seared in his mind. “I can imagine her hugging the scooter when the accident happened. When I returned home that night and saw my son’s kick scooter, I was really affected. The grandfather lost his wife and granddaughter. And the girl’s father lost his mother and daughter.”
He said the toughest part of his job is breaking the news to a victim’s family that their loved one had died.
“Even though I’ve done this for six years, it has never got easier. Despite trying my best to stay professional, sometimes when I try to tell them, my voice will still crack.”
He remembers the first case he investigated on Aug 7, 2017.
A speeding driver lost control of his car and collided with a motorcyclist who was heading home from work in Woodlands.
A speeding driver lost control of his car and collided with a motorcyclist heading home from work in Woodlands in August 2017.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
The motorcyclist, a married father of three, had just moved into a new home with his family.
“He was looking forward to showing his new home to his friends and family. But they attended his funeral instead,” said Insp Yazid.
The accident killed the motorcyclist, a married father of three, who had just moved into a new home with his family.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
‘Like a war zone’
In December 2021, Insp Yazid investigated a drink driver who ploughed into several vehicles that had stopped at a red light in Tampines.
Jeremiah Ng had driven up to 169kmh even though the speed limit there was 60kmh.
A Gojek driver died and six others were injured.
On Dec 23, 2021, a drunk driver ploughed into several vehicles that had stopped at a red light in Tampines.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
In 2023, Ng was sentenced to seven years’ jail for drink driving and dangerous driving causing death and was disqualified from driving for 12 years.
The district judge who had sentenced him said that he treated the roads like the Grand Prix driving circuit.
The High Court dismissed Ng’s appeal against his jail term in 2025.
Insp Yazid said: “When I arrived at the scene, it was like a war zone. Vehicles were crushed and debris was everywhere. The Gojek driver died despite not doing anything wrong. He was just waiting at a traffic light.”
The Gojek driver’s two passengers survived the crash. One of them had pieces of glass removed from his face.
A motorcyclist was crushed between the vehicles and suffered traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures. He could not walk for months.
Motorcyclist Mahmud Azmani Fikri in hospital after the December 2021 accident in Tampines.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MR MAHMUD AZMANI FIKRI
Insp Yazid went to the Gojek driver’s home with the devastating news.
He said: “It was really difficult (telling his wife). I could tell she was trying to be strong, but I had to wait for her sister-in-law to come over before leaving because I just couldn’t leave her alone.”
He believes every accident can be avoided. And road users must understand that roads are meant to be shared.
Said Insp Yazid: “Put egos aside, drive within the speed limit, don’t drink and drive. Control your vehicle properly, because if you lose concentration, other people’s lives may be affected.
“At the end of the day, I don’t mind being put out of a job if that means nobody dies on our roads.”
