Singapore's road traffic accident rate is higher than cities like New South Wales and Tokyo - every two days, someone died on the road here.

Last year, there were 7,499 road traffic accidents. Some 10,000 were injured and 190 people were killed.

These grim statistics were revealed by Prof Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of Stte for Law and Home Affairs when he spoke at the first United National Global road safety week and road safety outreach 2007 this morning at Vivo City.

Prof Ho said that according to a 2003 study conducted by Prof Chin Hoong Chor from NUS, the cost of one fatal accident is almost $1 million.

"Multiply this amount by 190 fatalities, the social and economic costs of road fatalities are indeed enormous and are certainly a great concern to all of us," he said.

"When compared to traffic statistics from other countries, this figure was higher than cities, such as New South Wales ( 1.2 fatalities per 10,000 vehicles) and Tokyo (0.5 fatalities per 10,000 vehicles)," he said.

" We must therefore lower our road traffic accident rate further. We are committed to spreading the road safety message to road users and to making our roads safer."

The Minister said that the focus on road safety is a timely one. And it goes beyond safe driving and riding.

Singaporeans must "internalise and embrace a courteous and safety-first mindset whenever they go onto the road, whether as driver, motorcyclist, bicyclist or pedestrian," he added.

Motorcyclists and elderly are the two vulnerable groups, he noted.

Motorcyclists made up more than half of total fatalities last year. One in three riders killed was between the 18 and 30.

Pedestrians made up the second most vulnerable group of road users in 2006. Elderly pedestrians, in particular, accounted for about half of total pedestrian fatalities last year. They are more vulnerable because many have poor sight and hearing, as well as slower reaction. This puts them at a greater risk on the roads.

The Minister said that the National Safety Council, Land Transport Authority, Automobile Association of Singapore and the Traffic Police (TP) are exploring more ways to promote road safety among motorists and pedestrians alike.

Over the next six months, a new road safety campaign will be launched at the heartlands, schools and community centres to reach out to the general public. Other than raising and reinforcing general road safety awareness, the campaign will also target specific groups such as the vulnerable motorists and pedestrians.

In conjunction with the United Nations Global Road Safety Week, Traffic Police is also launching the Road Safety Outreach programme this year. It will work closely with the motorcycling clubs, Motorcycle Traders Association, tertiary institutions and the National Youth Council to promote road safety to road users, especially amongst young riders.

A new initiative is the appointment of 20 Road Safety ambassadors from the Motoring Club of National University of Singapore. These ambassadors will help to spread the road safety message during road safety events to other students and the public at large.

Another focus of Road Safety Outreach 2007 is elderly pedestrians. Traffic Police will be leveraging on TV, radio and other mass media to educate senior citizens and their children on the dangers faced by elderly persons when crossing roads. TV commercials will remind elderly pedestrians to use designated road crossings and specific case studies will be used to highlight certain road dangers.

Said Prof Ho: " Our roads are a network that link our daily activities. We travel from home to work, and work to home. We take a walk to the hawker centre for a meal, and to the supermarket for groceries. However, every 2 days, 1 to 2 persons do not make it back home safely. This shows that we cannot take road safety for granted, and reminds us that we can all do our part to make our roads safer. "