Singapore Traffic Games - Speech by Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs

Mr Bernard Tay, Chairman, Singapore Road Safety Council (SRSC),

AC Lionel Bok, Covering Commander, Traffic Police,

Distinguished Sponsors, Partners, Principals, Teachers and Children,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

1. Good morning to all of you.

2. It is wonderful to see so many young faces here at the Singapore Traffic Games 2025 final. As I look around, I see future drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians who will shape how we move around Singapore in the years to come.

3. This year, more than 14,000 students from 141 schools have participated in the Games. You learnt by practising the right habits on how to stay safe on roads. We can’t do this by reading books. These are not just games, but important skills that can keep you safe. Every time you look left and right before crossing the road or put on your seatbelt in a car, you are doing something that keeps you safe. These habits should become muscle memory for you, and you can do them without even thinking.

Children and Road Safety

4. Learning about road safety is very important because children can get hurt on the roads. Between January and September 2025, 197 children in Singapore were hurt in traffic accidents. Accidents can happen when children cross the roads without looking out for traffic. In a single day on 23 July 2025, the Traffic Police was alerted to three cases of traffic accidents involving children. In one accident, a child had dashed across the road on his kick scooter despite the red-man signal and was unfortunately hit by a car. In the other two separate incidents, the children had run across the road without using a pedestrian crossing and, again, unfortunately, were knocked down by oncoming cars. This is why we teach you these road safety habits to keep you and your friends safe.

Transforming Road Safety Education

5. The Singapore Traffic Games have been part of our educational landscape since 1958, and that means almost 70 years of hands-on road safety learning. When first introduced, it was a completely new way to teach road safety, learning by doing instead of just reading about it. The programme has continuously evolved, adapting to changing needs just as Singapore's road infrastructure has advanced.

6. While the fundamental principles remain unchanged, how we deliver these lessons must evolve. I am excited to announce several new initiatives that will improve road safety education in Singapore.

7. First, the Traffic Police and Singapore Road Safety Council (SRSC) will introduce "Road Safety Corners" to selected schools as a start. These are dedicated areas featuring key road safety advisories and zebra crossing floor stickers, explaining kerb drill techniques and common road signs. These are not passive displays but active learning environments where teachers can guide students through interactive sessions. Think of them as compact versions of what you have experienced here, available in your schools so that teachers can reinforce these essential safety skills. More details will be announced next year.

8. Second, TP is working with major preschools to incorporate road safety education into their curriculum. By the time young children reach primary school, they will have two years of safety awareness built into their foundation, ensuring that these habits become deeply ingrained as they progress through the education system.

9. Third, TP has introduced two new educational materials targeting primary school students. The Police Pal storybook series now has a Traffic Police edition which educates children about road safety through relatable characters. Our community police officers read these books during school visits, reinforcing good road safety habits.

10. In addition, TP has developed an interactive game console that will reinforce safe-crossing habits among children. Through a series of simple and engaging questions, young pedestrians are encouraged to recall and apply positive road safety behaviours such as looking out for traffic and using designated crossings. The machine will be deployed during school visits and community outreach events, providing a fun and memorable way for children to learn how to keep themselves safe.

Building Tomorrow's Safety Culture

11. To our educators present today, road safety deserves the same attention we give to literacy and numeracy. These are essential life skills that our children will use every day. By starting early in preschool and reinforcing these lessons consistently through primary school and beyond, we create a foundation where safety awareness becomes natural.

12. The beauty of this approach is that road safety becomes second nature rather than conscious effort. When children automatically look both ways before crossing or instinctively reach for seatbelts when they get in a car, we know that our education has succeeded. But children don't just keep themselves safe – they become safety ambassadors for their family. When a child reminds their parents to buckle up, asks a sibling to look both ways before crossing, or points out that someone should use the pedestrian crossing instead of jaywalking, they are extending these safety lessons beyond the classroom into everyday life and helping the community.

Thank You for Championing Road Safety

13. The partnership that makes today possible – between TP, schools, families, and our generous sponsors – demonstrates Singapore's collaborative approach to road safety and as a shared responsibility, and in fact, this is very much a manifestation of the “we first” society that our Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has spoken about. Let us work together with shared commitment and purpose to make our roads safe for everyone.

14. I want to thank TP and partners for their continued innovation in road safety education, our teachers for making road safety education a priority, our volunteers for their dedication, and our sponsors for championing our children's safety.

Conclusion

15. I want to also say congratulations to all our finalists, thank you to everyone who has made today possible, and here is to building a Singapore where everyone travels safely, every single day.

16. Thank you.