S1E85: Traffic deaths hit a 10-year high: What's happening on our roads?

Published on 5 Mar 2026

A recent report card of our behaviour on the road has shown that we’ve become worse motorists.

Traffic deaths have hit a 10-year high, the number of people injured in accidents has risen from 2024, and speeding violations jumped by 25.9% in a year.

These figures were detailed in the annual road traffic statistics for 2025 by the Traffic Police, which were reported on Feb 26.

We have smart cars, tons of traffic cameras and strict laws to regulate good behaviour on the road, but why have the statistics become worse? Are we just bad road users or are there other factors involved?

In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with

Ms Bozy Lu, a lawyer and partner at Han & Lu Law Chambers LLP, specialising in road accident claims and community law, and
Mr Jason Lim, chairman of the Riding Safety Association of Singapore, a motorcyclist interest group. He also co-owns Roads.sg, a platform that, at its heart, advocates for road safety.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:16 Why are our roads like that?

5:16 Our devices are making us distracted

7:06 “Please make this guy famous.”

10:39 Do drivers see speed limits as a suggestion?

13:43 “My passenger is chasing me like there’s no tomorrow.”

18:54 Why skills and decision-making key to bikers’ safety

26:46 Firmer legal action needed against jaywalkers?

32:15 What kind of driver or pedestrian are we on the road?

36:48 Are we an entitled bunch on the road?

38:42 Think of another person’s point of view: Bozy

43:57 What needs to change to fix our road culture?