CAR salesman Kenny Goh considers himself lucky - he survived his motorbike crash, ending up with a limp and having to have a metal rod inserted in his leg.
Mr Goh, 26, also had to endure a three-month stay in hospital. All because a car beat a red light and rammed into his bike last January.
He has since given up riding motorbikes, thankful for his escape and knowing he could have easily become just another road fatality statistic.
The figures are sobering - accidents involving motorcycles made up a disproportionate 58per cent of the 182 fatal accidents on Singapore roads last year.
In 1997, motorcycle accidents comprised 49 per cent, or 122 of the 247 fatal accidents that year.
Between January and June this year, 42 motorcyclists have been killed - compared with 48 in the same period last year.
Traffic Police commander, Assistant Commissioner Ng Guat Ting, yesterday launched a campaign aimed at driving the safety message home to motorcyclists and stressed how vulnerable they were on the road.
"Some treat the roads as race tracks where they challenge each other in a show of bravado and dare... but no one wins in a traffic accident. There is nothing impressive, brave or glamorous about being injured or even killed in an accident," said AC Ng.
She recounted how two friends riding on the Pan-Island Expressway one night decided to race each other.
One lost control of his bike and hit the guard rail. The impact sent him flying through the air to the ground. He died on the spot.
In February, a motorcyclist was found dead on the Ayer Rajah Expressway after he lost control of his bike.
He reeked of alcohol and an autopsy report later showed he had a high level of alcohol in his blood.
He left behind two aged parents.
He was one of four motorcyclists who died with high levels of alcohol in their bloodstream in the first six months this year. In the same period last year, it was 11.
AC Ng said: "This is a sobering reminder that it is both reckless and irresponsible to drink and ride."
The commanding officer of the Traffic Police's road safety branch, Deputy Superintendent Simon Ng, said many young riders often forget how vulnerable they are on the roads.
"You ride one day, you feel safe. You ride a week, a month, and nothing happens. You forget you are vulnerable, but the slightest contact could lead to an accident. By then, it is too late," said DSP Ng, who rides a small Honda Wave bike daily.
Further, as Mr Goh noted, it was not his recklessness that caused his accident.
"Do not assume that cars will always give way to you, even if you have the right of way. Always double-check," he said.