It saddened me to read about the loss of two lives (TJC student one of two killed in multi-vehicle accident in Tampines, April 23).

Can such tragic accidents be prevented? Perhaps, if common sense prevails.

Enough talk, education and enhanced traffic offence penalties. Now is the time for drivers and motorcyclists to get real about road safety. Laws alone are inadequate without a change in our mindset and behaviour.

The majority of road users are law-abiding. It is a minority who will take risks, but even a handful is too many.

A car can protect one only so much in a bad crash, and one may still return home in a box.

Driving safely is not only about following traffic rules. The increase in traffic deaths may be linked to more vehicles being on the roads, faster and heavier vehicles, poor road conditions, poor use of personal protective devices like helmets and seat belts, poor time management leading to the need to speed, and risky behaviour like drink driving, speeding and driving while sleep-deprived.

While everybody on the road is at risk, those facing the highest risk are still the elderly, pedestrians, cyclists, those focused on their mobile phones, food delivery riders and motorcyclists. And we should all be doing our bit to protect them.

Robert Cheng