In the article “Floor lights help ‘smartphone zombies’ keep eye on the road”, Tan (2017) reports that the newly installed LED strips at crossing junctions can help smartphone addicts stay alert on the road. The LED strips which can be seen in the day, flashes the prominent red and green of a traffic light. Land Transport Authority (LTA) has implemented this half year-pilot program at two of the popular vicinities in Singapore due to its heavy human traffics. The program will allow the authority to evaluate the suitability and effectivity of the LED strips before they implement them on other crossings. Statistics from Traffic Police (TP) have shown a rise in pedestrian-related accidents, where a substantial amount is made up by the elderly. While the LED strips enhance awareness of road safety for 'smartphone zombies', they do not deal with the group that causes the rise in pedestrian-related accidents.
First of all, to understand which group is the cause of such pedestrian-related accidents, we need to examine the traffic report in Singapore. Based on the report "Annual Road Traffic Situation 2016" Singapore Police Force (2016), statistics have shown that there is a decrease in pedestrian-related deaths between 2015 and 2016. However, pedestrian-related deaths in the elderly population have shot up by 19.6 percent. In which, 16 out of 28 deaths are caused by jaywalking. Between 2015 and 2016, accidents involving elderly who jaywalk continue to climb from 57 to 81 instances. While no information can be found in the report regarding smartphone addicts, the concern in the elderly group remains high. From this, we have learned that jaywalking plays a huge role in pedestrian-related deaths in the elderly. While the LED strips provide an additional signal when it is time to cross, they do not deter road users from jaywalking.
Secondly, to further understand the problem, we need to identify the reasons behind why elderly jaywalk. In the post "Why do the Elderly Jaywalk?", Chew (2016) suggests that it may be that many of the elderly have walking difficulties. They rather jeopardise their safety than to walk to the nearest crossing junction as it can be agonising for them. Chew (2016) further commented that many of the elderly visit the marketplace to buy groceries and it is not unusual to see them jaywalking with heavy bags of grocery. All these reasonings have promoted the elderly to jaywalk instead.
Last but not least, we recognise that actions are needed to overcome this issue particularly when the population in Singapore is ageing. Based on the article by Loh (2017), a Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SAC) states that with the ageing population in Singapore, this has become an area of concern. Since last year November, TP has been collaborating with "Senior Activities Centre and Senior Citizen Corners" to teach the elderly how to stay safe when using the road. More information can be found in the article "Fatal accidents in 2016 down, but more elderly killed" (2017). Chew (2016) also recommended the use of 'mobility scooters' to aid elderly who have walking difficulties. This will actually encourage them to not jaywalk as 'mobility scooters' are mostly limited to flat roads.
Although the LED strips enhance awareness of road safety for 'smartphone zombies', they are not especially useful when it comes to dealing with the rise in pedestrian-related accidents. From the traffic report in 2016, we learned that pedestrian-related accidents in the elderly remained as the area of concern. Hence, more efforts and funds should be placed on the jaywalking problem instead.
References
Chew, W (2016). Why do the Elderly Jaywalk? Falcon Mobility. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
https://www.falconmobility.com.sg/blogs/blog/why-do-the-elderly-jaywalk
Loh, R (2017). Fatal accidents in 2016 down, but more elderly killed. The New Paper. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/fatal-accidents-2016-down-more-elderly-killed
Singapore Police Force (2016). Annual Road Traffic Situation 2016. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
http://www.police.gov.sg/~/media/spf/files/statistics/20170215_stats_road_traffic_situation_2016.pdf
Tan, C (2017). Floor lights help 'smartphone zombies' keep eye on the road. The Straits Times. Retrieved, September 20, 2016, from
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/floor-lights-help-smartphone-zombies-keep-eye-on-the-road
Last edited on 5 October 2017
First of all, to understand which group is the cause of such pedestrian-related accidents, we need to examine the traffic report in Singapore. Based on the report "Annual Road Traffic Situation 2016" Singapore Police Force (2016), statistics have shown that there is a decrease in pedestrian-related deaths between 2015 and 2016. However, pedestrian-related deaths in the elderly population have shot up by 19.6 percent. In which, 16 out of 28 deaths are caused by jaywalking. Between 2015 and 2016, accidents involving elderly who jaywalk continue to climb from 57 to 81 instances. While no information can be found in the report regarding smartphone addicts, the concern in the elderly group remains high. From this, we have learned that jaywalking plays a huge role in pedestrian-related deaths in the elderly. While the LED strips provide an additional signal when it is time to cross, they do not deter road users from jaywalking.
Secondly, to further understand the problem, we need to identify the reasons behind why elderly jaywalk. In the post "Why do the Elderly Jaywalk?", Chew (2016) suggests that it may be that many of the elderly have walking difficulties. They rather jeopardise their safety than to walk to the nearest crossing junction as it can be agonising for them. Chew (2016) further commented that many of the elderly visit the marketplace to buy groceries and it is not unusual to see them jaywalking with heavy bags of grocery. All these reasonings have promoted the elderly to jaywalk instead.
Last but not least, we recognise that actions are needed to overcome this issue particularly when the population in Singapore is ageing. Based on the article by Loh (2017), a Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SAC) states that with the ageing population in Singapore, this has become an area of concern. Since last year November, TP has been collaborating with "Senior Activities Centre and Senior Citizen Corners" to teach the elderly how to stay safe when using the road. More information can be found in the article "Fatal accidents in 2016 down, but more elderly killed" (2017). Chew (2016) also recommended the use of 'mobility scooters' to aid elderly who have walking difficulties. This will actually encourage them to not jaywalk as 'mobility scooters' are mostly limited to flat roads.
Although the LED strips enhance awareness of road safety for 'smartphone zombies', they are not especially useful when it comes to dealing with the rise in pedestrian-related accidents. From the traffic report in 2016, we learned that pedestrian-related accidents in the elderly remained as the area of concern. Hence, more efforts and funds should be placed on the jaywalking problem instead.
References
Chew, W (2016). Why do the Elderly Jaywalk? Falcon Mobility. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
https://www.falconmobility.com.sg/blogs/blog/why-do-the-elderly-jaywalk
Loh, R (2017). Fatal accidents in 2016 down, but more elderly killed. The New Paper. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/fatal-accidents-2016-down-more-elderly-killed
Singapore Police Force (2016). Annual Road Traffic Situation 2016. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
http://www.police.gov.sg/~/media/spf/files/statistics/20170215_stats_road_traffic_situation_2016.pdf
Tan, C (2017). Floor lights help 'smartphone zombies' keep eye on the road. The Straits Times. Retrieved, September 20, 2016, from
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/floor-lights-help-smartphone-zombies-keep-eye-on-the-road
Last edited on 5 October 2017
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