Is it fair? ‘When you jaywalk, your recklessness becomes the problem of ‘innocent’ motorists’
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Is it fair for motorists to be implicated when jaywalkers are involved in accidents?
That is the question posed by Stomper Anonymous after he read a July 18 news report about 10 jaywalkers who were fined $50 each during Traffic Police enforcement operations near Boon Keng MRT station.
One jaywalker claimed his behaviour was “not even that dangerous”, while another said he jaywalked almost daily as it was “not a big deal”.
However, Anonymous took issue with such a mindset.
The Stomper argued that when jaywalkers get into accidents because of their recklessness, “innocent” drivers and motorcyclists are implicated too for failing to keep a proper lookout.
Failing to keep a proper lookout is a common cause of traffic accidents and a punishable violation under the Road Traffic Act.
“Motorists struggle to react to jaywalkers because of the reaction-time delay, their unexpected appearance and visual obstructions,” he said.
“Even if they are given the benefit of doubt during investigation, it is stressful, mental torture and time-consuming to attend interviews and court proceedings.”
Anonymous noted that Singapore already has laws against jaywalking, but felt they should be more strictly enforced because “people tend to keep committing wrongdoing if they are allowed to”.
The Stomper said it is important for all activities on and along our public roads to be controlled as laws exist for our safety.
He added that jaywalkers seem to “always believe” that they have the right of way and assume that motorists would not hit them.
“The common belief that pedestrians always have the right of way is not true,” Anonymous argued. “They only have right of way when they are obeying common sense traffic rules.”
According to the Stomper, most jaywalkers do not realise the severity or impact of their actions until:
- They are hit by a vehicle
- They cause a traffic accident
- They cause someone else to be hurt
- They are “ignorant or rude enough” to a police officer catching them in the act
Anonymous feels that jaywalkers should bear sole responsibility if they are involved in an accident.
“Jaywalking is illegal because it is dangerous for pedestrians and motorists,” he emphasised, noting that traffic lights, pedestrian push buttons and zebra crossings exist for a reason.
There are about 11,500 push buttons at around 2,790 traffic junctions across Singapore.
The Stomper added: “A pedestrian who steps into the street when it is illegal and/or unsafe and is struck by a vehicle that has had no time to avoid them is the cause of that collision.”
Anonymous also believes jaywalking can impede the orderly flow of traffic and jeopardise lives beyond that of the pedestrian.
“When people walk willy-nilly without regard to the rules of the road, one gets what I see all the time in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,” he said.
“Traffic flows at a crawl at lot of the time. People are severely injured and killed by vehicle traffic more often. Simply put, traffic flow becomes inefficient and chaotic.”
How to deter jaywalking? Stomper proposes solutions
Anonymous believes residents can play a role in discouraging jaywalking in their neighbourhoods.
“The police cannot be present everywhere,” he explained. “The people who live in a neighbourhood are there all the time and they are the best source of interaction.”
The Stomper also believes that making it easier for pedestrians to cross the street quickly — by having traffic lights change more quickly once the button is pushed — will eliminate most jaywalking.
“That’s how they often do it in pedestrian-focused cities like London,” he shared.
“Our road safety advocators should start a campaign to educate pedestrians about traffic signals and the importance of increased safety measures at crosswalks.”
He added that education will help everyone be more aware about the dangers of crossing streets.
“Pedestrian deaths can be prevented through educating the public and increasing awareness,” he stressed.
A total of 1,421 people were caught for jaywalking in 2025, with 1,591 caught in 2024. According to The Straits Times, these numbers were significantly higher than the annual average of around 1,000 caught from 2021 to 2023.
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