The phone call that Senior Staff Sergeant Roizman Mohamed Posari dreads most is the one that signals yet another family is grieving. As a senior investigation officer with Singapore's Traffic Police (TP) fatal accident investigation team, he is activated only when someone dies. This is a grim reality for Roizman, who has witnessed the devastating impact of reckless driving first-hand. In one particularly tragic incident, a driver named Ong Wei Long was speeding at 140kmh on a slip road when he lost control of his car, crashing into a tree and splitting the vehicle in two. The crash killed both passengers, a couple in their late twenties, leaving their families devastated. Ong was sentenced to two years in jail for dangerous driving, and will be disqualified from driving for a decade after his release. This incident, and others like it, highlight the dangerous state of Singapore's roads. Traffic deaths in 2025 hit a 10-year high of 149, compared to 141 in 2016. Roizman worries that the public may become desensitized to these statistics, viewing them as "just another death." But he emphasizes that these numbers represent real people, and that anyone could be affected. As he reflects on the loss these families have suffered, Roizman has had to learn to remain composed and calm, especially when interacting with the victims' relatives. He finds the grief and devastation of these families deeply moving, and it is a constant reminder of the human cost of reckless driving. In my opinion, this is a critical issue that requires urgent attention. The high number of traffic deaths in Singapore is a stark reminder of the need for stricter enforcement of traffic laws and increased public awareness about the dangers of speeding and reckless driving. It is also a call to action for individuals to take responsibility for their actions on the road. As a society, we must recognize that our roads are not just a means of transportation, but also a shared space where we must respect each other's safety and well-being. Only through collective effort can we make our roads safer and reduce the devastating impact of accidents on families and communities.
