|
 |
|
Source:
www.mha.gov.sg |
|
Written Answer to
Parliamentary Question on number of accidents involving taxis for
2006; measures the Traffic Police has taken and the number of taxi
licences revoked and reinstated in 2006 |
|
27 February 2007 |
|
|
Ms Ellen Lee Geck Hoon: |
|
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister for Home Affairs, in view of the increase in the number of
vehicles and fatal accident cases, |
|
(a) what is the number of
accidents involving taxis for 2006; |
|
(b) what other measures has the
Traffic Police taken against taxi drivers involved in road
accidents apart from prosecution, composition fines and demerit
points; and |
|
(c) how many taxi licences have
been revoked and reinstated in 2006. |
|
Mr Wong Kan Seng: |
|
Last year saw an overall increase of
11.8% in the total number of fatal and injury accidents. |
|
Fatal and injury accidents involving
taxis rose from 1,270 cases in 2005 to 1,420 cases last year. As a
proportion of fatal and injury accidents involving taxis, the rate
remained stable at 19% over the last 2 years. |
|
The Land Transport Authority (LTA)
under the Ministry of Transport administers the vocational licence
for taxi drivers. According to the LTA, 103 taxi driver vocational
licences (TDVL) were revoked in 2006. |
|
LTA does not reinstate the TDVL once
it has been revoked. The ex-TDVL holder will have to make a fresh
application once the debarment period is over. |
|
In addition, the applicant will need
to go through the taxi-driver course again and sit for a test. The
duration of the debarment period would depend on the type of
offence committed by the taxi driver. |
|
Traffic Police or TP recognizes that,
as public transport operators, taxi drivers have an added
responsibility to safeguard the safety of their passengers. They
should also exemplify safe driving behaviour and be role models
for other road users, since they spend more time on the roads. |
|
TP actively engages the taxi operator
associations as well as taxi drivers to promote road safety
awareness. |
|
Regular meetings are held with the
taxi operator associations to discuss road safety issues and
initiatives, while road safety talks are conducted to educate taxi
drivers on safe driving behaviour. Road safety advertisements are
also put up on taxis to remind all road users, including taxi
drivers. |
|
Since 2000, Traffic Police has been
appointing taxi drivers to serve as road courtesy ambassadors. |
|
Through their courteous acts, such as
signalling early and giving way to other road users, the appointed
taxi drivers help to spread the message of courteous driving. |
|
They also act to spot other courteous
motorists, who would be awarded with prizes during our "Spot the
Courteous Motorists Programme". Collaterals1 carrying
road courtesy and safety messages were also disseminated to more
than 20,000 taxi drivers in 2006. |
|
1The
collaterals include items like tissue boxes, tissue packs, note
pads etc. |
|
Source:
www.mha.gov.sg Press Release
28 Feb 2007 |
|
 |
|
Important
Notice |
|
Our FrontPage
Editions are a historical record of our Web site and reflect
the changing of the times, and also of our Web site through
time. We do not and will not update the links and stories on
these FrontPages even if they have become obsolete. |
|
FrontPage Edition: Tue 27 March 2007
All rights reserved
