{"id":45654,"date":"2026-04-19T08:26:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T00:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=45654"},"modified":"2026-04-19T08:26:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T00:26:44","slug":"road-safety-a-traffic-officers-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=45654","title":{"rendered":"Road safety: A traffic officer’s perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"


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SINGAPORE \u2013 When Traffic Police (TP) Inspector Mohamed Yazid Mohamed Yusoff arrived at the scene of a road accident in Tampines in 2020, his heart sank. Lying among the debris were the toys of a five-year-old girl and her kick scooter, which was, coincidentally, similar to the one his son, also aged five, has.<\/p>\n

The only differences were that the girl\u2019s scooter was pink, and it was covered in blood.<\/p>\n

His worst fears were confirmed when he learnt she had died.<\/p>\n

Singapore\u2019s roads are now at their most dangerous in years, with traffic deaths hitting a 10-year high of 149 in 2025,<\/span><\/a> compared with 141 in 2016.<\/p>\n

Insp Yazid, who spent six years at TP\u2019s fatal accident investigation team, said: \u201cIt was heartbreaking to see her parents crying in hospital. I thought, if that had been my child, I don\u2019t know how I\u2019d react.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now officer-in-charge of the general investigation team, Insp Yazid told The Straits Times in March about the fatal road traffic accidents that impacted him while he was investigating them.<\/p>\n

The girl died when the van her grandfather was driving collided with several cars before hitting a barricade.<\/p>\n

She had been sitting at the back with her grandmother, who died less than a week later.<\/p>\n

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A five-year-old girl and her grandmother died following a road accident in Tampines in 2020.<\/p>\n

PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The grandfather was fined $8,000 and disqualified from driving for eight years for driving without due care and attention, causing death.<\/p>\n

Insp Yazid said the victims usually sat in the front. But that day, the girl wanted to sit with her kick scooter at the back. <\/p>\n

\u201cHad they sat in front, they probably would be alive today,\u201d said Insp Yazid.<\/p>\n

The image of the bloodied kick scooter is seared in his mind. \u201cI can imagine her hugging the scooter when the accident happened. When I returned home that night and saw my son\u2019s kick scooter, I was really affected. The grandfather lost his wife and granddaughter. And the girl\u2019s father lost his mother and daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the toughest part of his job is breaking the news to a victim\u2019s family that their loved one had died.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though I\u2019ve done this for six years, it has never got easier. Despite trying my best to stay professional, sometimes when I try to tell them, my voice will still crack.\u201d <\/p>\n

He remembers the first case he investigated on Aug 7, 2017.<\/p>\n

A speeding driver lost control of his car and collided with a motorcyclist who was heading home from work in Woodlands.<\/p>\n

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A speeding driver lost control of his car and collided with a motorcyclist heading home from work in Woodlands in August 2017.<\/p>\n

PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The motorcyclist, a married father of three, had just moved into a new home with his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was looking forward to showing his new home to his friends and family. But they attended his funeral instead,\u201d said Insp Yazid.<\/p>\n

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The accident killed the motorcyclist, a married father of three, who had just moved into a new home with his family.<\/p>\n

PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n