Written Reply by Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan to Parliamentary Question on Number of and Time Taken to Clear Vehicles that Break Down on the Roads

Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Minister for Transport

a.     what is the current monthly number of vehicle breakdowns on roads;

b.     whether that pattern has changed over the years;

c.     what is the most frequent type of vehicles that break down on the roads;

d.     what is the current recovery time taken to clear vehicle breakdowns and whether it has improved over time; and

e.     what more can be done to reduce the time needed to clear the roads due to vehicle breakdowns. 

Reply by Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan:

1.     LTA provides vehicle recovery services on expressways and tunnels. Vehicle breakdowns along other roads are attended to by private vehicle recovery services; they are not tracked by LTA.

2.     Between 2013 and 2018, the number of vehicle breakdowns per month on tunnels and expressways ranged between 2000 and 2500. Cars have consistently accounted for the largest proportion of these breakdowns – about 45% last year. LTA's vehicle recovery services are placed on stand-by near expressways and tunnels, to ensure timely responses. Upon activation, LTA will generally arrive within 8 minutes and 15 minutes for tunnels and expressways respectively, and clear the vehicles within 10 minutes after arrival.

3.     Motorists can play their part, by moving their broken down vehicles to the road shoulder where possible. They should also regularly service their vehicles to minimise such occurrences.