Safety assessment of taxi drivers in Singapore

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive safety assessment of taxi drivers in Singapore. Six years of accident records (2001 through 2006) maintained by traffic police were employed for three analyses: a trend analysis, a factor analysis, and a cause analysis. In the trend analysis, it was found that the taxi accident rates were consistently higher than the safety standard set by Singapore's Land Transport Authority, even though no evidence suggested an increasing trend in taxi accidents. In the factor analysis, 10 significant factors that have contributed to the taxi accidents were identified with two binomial logistic models. Accidents in which taxi drivers were responsible were compared with (a) those accidents in which the taxi drivers were not responsible, and (b) those accidents in which the drivers of private cars were responsible. Following the factor analysis, the seven most common accident causes were ranked. The relative accident propensities according to individual factors identified in the factor analysis were computed. These findings suggest that any behavior-modification training program to be developed must be unique for taxi drivers and must take into account the specific factors and causes highlighted in this study.