Singapore
By Lakeisha Leo 07 May 2021 12:30PM (Updated: 07 May 2021 12:40PM )
SINGAPORE: Fewer people on board lorries were injured or killed in road traffic accidents since safety measures were introduced in 2009 and 2010, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (May 7).
In a statement, an LTA spokesperson said the traffic police are currently investigating the two recent accidents involving lorries ferrying passengers. The driver involved in the first case has been arrested for careless driving causing death.
"Internationally, while there are different practices, it is not uncommon for goods vehicles to be used to carry passengers.
"For example, countries such as Canada, Thailand and the USA allow for passengers to be ferried on the rear deck, with varying degree of safety restrictions," said the spokesperson.
He added that in 2009 and 2010, the Government rolled out a series of measures to enhance the safety of workers ferried on lorries.
"Since then, the number of people on board lorries and who were injured or killed in road traffic accidents has been falling."
It added that the accident rates in 2020 were significantly lower for all motor vehicle types due to "lower traffic volumes arising from COVID-19 restrictions".
The charts below, provided by LTA, show the number of people on board lorries and motor vehicles who were injured or killed in road traffic accidents.
The accidents involving lorries include those not ferrying workers, said LTA.
This chart, provided by the Land Transport Authority, shows the number of people injured on board lorries and motor vehicles in road traffic accidents from 2011 to 2020. (Image: Land Transport Authority)
This chart, provided by the Land Transport Authority, shows the number of people killed onboard lorries and motor vehicles in road traffic accidents from 2011 to 2020. (Image: Land Transport Authority)
This issue was raised in Parliament in 2010, when regulations requiring the lorries to install canopies and higher side railings were implemented after a review.
A minimum deck space requirement per seated worker was also doubled from 4 sq ft to 8 sq ft, according to a 2010 Parliament reply by former transport minister Raymond Lim.
Lorries ferrying workers to workplaces are also required to stick to the road speed limit or 60kmh, whichever is lower.
There is also a height restriction for workers seated on the carriage deck, with workers required to be no more than 1.1m above the carriage deck when seated.
LORRY ACCIDENTS IN APRIL
Last month, two migrant workers died after a lorry collided with a stationary tipper truck along the PIE towards Changi Airport at the Jalan Bahar exit. Another 15 workers were injured.
The lorry driver, 36, was arrested for careless driving causing death, police said.
In another accident later that week, 10 men were taken to the hospital after a lorry overturned along Upper Bukit Timah Road.
These accidents have sparked fresh calls for the practice of carrying workers on the back of lorries to be reviewed.
Source: CNA/lk(rw)
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Fewer people killed in lorry accidents since safety measures were introduced in 2009: LTA
FILE PHOTO: Migrant workers sit in the back of a lorry, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore on May 15, 2020. (Reuters/Edgar Su)By Lakeisha Leo 07 May 2021 12:30PM (Updated: 07 May 2021 12:40PM )
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SINGAPORE: Fewer people on board lorries were injured or killed in road traffic accidents since safety measures were introduced in 2009 and 2010, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Friday (May 7).
In a statement, an LTA spokesperson said the traffic police are currently investigating the two recent accidents involving lorries ferrying passengers. The driver involved in the first case has been arrested for careless driving causing death.
READ: 13 offences found in checks on lorries carrying workers: LTA
READ: Calls to review practice of transporting workers in lorries after 2 accidents
"Internationally, while there are different practices, it is not uncommon for goods vehicles to be used to carry passengers.
"For example, countries such as Canada, Thailand and the USA allow for passengers to be ferried on the rear deck, with varying degree of safety restrictions," said the spokesperson.
He added that in 2009 and 2010, the Government rolled out a series of measures to enhance the safety of workers ferried on lorries.
"Since then, the number of people on board lorries and who were injured or killed in road traffic accidents has been falling."
It added that the accident rates in 2020 were significantly lower for all motor vehicle types due to "lower traffic volumes arising from COVID-19 restrictions".
The charts below, provided by LTA, show the number of people on board lorries and motor vehicles who were injured or killed in road traffic accidents.
The accidents involving lorries include those not ferrying workers, said LTA.
This chart, provided by the Land Transport Authority, shows the number of people injured on board lorries and motor vehicles in road traffic accidents from 2011 to 2020. (Image: Land Transport Authority)
This chart, provided by the Land Transport Authority, shows the number of people killed onboard lorries and motor vehicles in road traffic accidents from 2011 to 2020. (Image: Land Transport Authority)
This issue was raised in Parliament in 2010, when regulations requiring the lorries to install canopies and higher side railings were implemented after a review.
A minimum deck space requirement per seated worker was also doubled from 4 sq ft to 8 sq ft, according to a 2010 Parliament reply by former transport minister Raymond Lim.
Lorries ferrying workers to workplaces are also required to stick to the road speed limit or 60kmh, whichever is lower.
There is also a height restriction for workers seated on the carriage deck, with workers required to be no more than 1.1m above the carriage deck when seated.
LORRY ACCIDENTS IN APRIL
Last month, two migrant workers died after a lorry collided with a stationary tipper truck along the PIE towards Changi Airport at the Jalan Bahar exit. Another 15 workers were injured.
The lorry driver, 36, was arrested for careless driving causing death, police said.
In another accident later that week, 10 men were taken to the hospital after a lorry overturned along Upper Bukit Timah Road.
These accidents have sparked fresh calls for the practice of carrying workers on the back of lorries to be reviewed.
Source: CNA/lk(rw)
Continue reading...