Road traffic fatalities hit 10-year high of 149 in 2025; elderly deaths more than double
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Of great concern to the authorities was the number of elderly who died, with figures that more than doubled from 11 in 2024 to 27 in 2025. All were pedestrians.
PHOTO: ST FILE
- Singapore's road fatalities hit a 10-year high of 149 deaths in 2025, with overall injuries also increasing, prompting concern from authorities.
- Elderly fatalities more than doubled from 11 in 2024 to 27 in 2025.
- Traffic Police will step up enforcement, including red-light camera speed activation, urging all road users to adopt a "safety first" mindset.
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SINGAPORE - The Republic’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.
There were 142 deaths in 2024.
The number of injured people also increased from 9,342 in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025.
Of great concern to the authorities was the number of elderly who died, with the figure more than doubling from 11 in 2024 to 27 in 2025. All were pedestrians.
To tackle this, the Traffic Police (TP) will step up enforcement such as activating the speed enforcement action in more red-light cameras
The TP said this on Feb 26 when releasing its annual road traffic statistics for 2025.
On the worsening situation on Singapore’s roads, the TP said the persistent upward trend over the past few years was worrying.
The number of traffic accidents resulting in deaths rose from 139 cases in 2024 to 147 cases in 2025.
The number of traffic accidents resulting in injuries also went up, from 7,053 cases in 2024 to 7,560 cases in 2025.
More speedsters were caught, with the number of speeding violations increasing from 201,358 cases in 2024 to 253,550 cases in 2025.
That is about 695 people caught speeding daily.
Fortunately, the number of speeding-related accidents decreased from 547 cases in 2024 to 515 cases in 2025.
There was also a fall in the number of speeding-related fatal accidents, from 46 cases in 2024 to 41 cases in 2025.
But the number of red-light running accidents jumped from 96 cases in 2024 to 122 cases in 2025.
Such offences resulted in seven fatal accidents in 2025, one more than in 2024.
Drink driving
Drink driving continues to be one of the TP’s priorities, even though the number of people arrested decreased from 1,788 in 2024 to 1,716 in 2025.
There were also fewer drink-driving accidents, from 166 cases in 2024 to 156 cases in 2025.
But 12 people died in such accidents in 2024 and 2025.
The TP said: “Every instance represents a deliberate choice that puts both the driver and innocent road users at grave risk. Drink-driving accidents often result in horrific and devastating consequences, with severe injuries and fatalities, consequences that could entirely have been prevented.”
As in previous years, motorcyclists and the elderly made up most of the casualties.
TP said that while motorcycles made up only about 15 per cent of Singapore’s total vehicle population in 2025, motorcyclists and pillion riders were involved in 54.8 per cent of all traffic accidents and accounted for 53 per cent of deaths.
The number of accidents involving motorcyclists jumped from 3,973 cases in 2024 to 4,227 cases in 2025. The number of motorcyclist and pillion rider casualties increased from 4,510 in 2024 to 4,844 in 2025.
However, the number of fatal accidents involving motorcyclists dropped from 87 cases in 2024 to 79 cases in 2025. The number of motorcyclist and pillion rider deaths also fell from 85 in 2024 to 79 in 2025.
Elderly casualties
Accidents involving elderly pedestrians continue to be a significant concern, said the TP.
The number of traffic accidents involving these pedestrians increased from 203 cases in 2024 to 247 cases in 2025.
The 27 elderly pedestrian deaths in 2025 were among 36 pedestrian deaths in total for the year.
There were also more injured elderly pedestrians, from 193 in 2024 to 222 in 2025.
In 2025, there were 18 fatal accidents that involved jaywalking, the same as in 2024.
However, 15 cases in 2025 involved the elderly, more than double the seven cases in 2024.
Speaking at a media briefing on Feb 26, TP commander Daniel Tan said more than half of the accidents in 2025 were caused by a failure to keep a proper lookout.
Some examples he gave were a car driver turning into a road and not noticing a pedestrian; a motorcyclist riding along an expressway while looking at his phone; and a cyclist crossing the road without looking out for traffic.
Said Senior Assistant Commissioner Tan: “It doesn’t have to be a boy racer with golden hair. It doesn’t have to be a car driver with a string of antecedents and suspension records. It can be somebody with a clean record.
“Today, I want to convey this point clearly to everyone who uses the road – that an accident can happen (to anyone).”
The TP said there was a 39.1 per cent increase in the number of cellphone driving violations, from 3,014 in 2024 to 4,193 in 2025.
Some other causes of accidents were a failure to have adequate control of the vehicle and changing lanes without due care.
The TP said: “All road users must stay alert to their surroundings and never assume that other road users have seen them. This simple act of keeping a proper lookout can prevent the majority of accidents and save lives.”
(From left) Superintendent Cindy New, head of the Traffic Police’s (TP) investigation branch, TP commander Daniel Tan and Singapore Road Safety Council Bernard Tay at a media briefing on Feb 26.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Enforcement
To tackle rising road deaths, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the TP implemented enhanced penalties for speeding offences from Jan 1, and expanded a speed limiter regime for lorries to include those with a maximum laden weight of between 3,501kg and 5,000kg.
A speed limiter is a device that restricts vehicle engines to a maximum speed of 60kmh.
As at Feb 1, 80.1 per cent of lorries with a maximum laden weight of between 3,501kg and 5,000kg registered before Jan 1, 2018, have installed speed limiters ahead of a July 1 deadline.
Newer models of such lorries need to install the speed limiters by July 1, 2027.
The TP has also raised the safety standards for motorcycle helmets Traffic Violation Enforcement Cameras
The cameras, marked with orange and white stripes, use video analytics and automatic number plate recognition to capture traffic offences, including violations of directional signs and vehicles stopping in yellow boxes.
The TP said road safety requires a culture of mutual respect and graciousness among all road users.
It added: “Simple acts of courtesy, such as maintaining a safe following distance of at least three seconds, giving way to pedestrians, reducing speed near junctions and being patient during peak hours, can create a better road culture.”
