How Do Best Performing Countries in Road Safety Save Lives on the Roads? Lessons Learned from Case Studies in Singapore

Abstract

We are still in an era where road engineers are focused only on design standards and creating roads for motor vehicles. It is necessary to change this mentality in order to have safer streets, and Singapore is a good example of success story for building a safer road infrastructure for safer communities, especially through the coordination of different institutions. Singapore is considered one of the best performing countries globally and regionally in terms of road safety. Road safety management rules and regulations implemented in the country have resulted in significant strides in managing the effects of collision factors related to roadway design, human behavior, and vehicle attributes. As a result, road safety statistics have shown that fatalities on the Singapore road network have been steadily declining over the past decade. This is leading to a desire on the part of neighboring countries to follow Singapore’s example and learn from its experience. This paper will show examples and case studies on why Singapore roads are not only considered the safest in the region, but they also rank among the safest globally, through a strong road safety management overseeing safe road infrastructure, enforcement, vehicle safety.