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On 11th May 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) uploaded a video onto their official Facebook page featuring the Commander of Traffic Police, SAC Gerald Lim. Spanning 4 minutes, the video takes on the latest amendments to the Road Traffic Act and other traffic-related matters. Key amendments to the Road Traffic Act 1. Illegal speed trials An illegal speed trial is defined by a trial where two or more vehicles compete at high speeds through a stretch of road. As noted in the video, vehicles that are involved in illegal speed trials may also be illegally modified to go faster, which is an offence on its own. For first-time offenders, individuals will face a fine of up to $5,000, up to 12 months of imprisonment or both. Repeat offenders will face a jail sentence of up to 24 months, a fine of $10,000 or both. Additionally, MHA announces that the vehicle forfeiture routine for illegal speed trials will be amended to make it non-mandatory. This means that if an offender is not the owner of the vehicle involved in an illegal speed trial, and if an offender had used the vehicle without the owner’s consent, there will be no forfeiture of the vehicle to the state. This will ensure that the forfeiture regime is consistent with other offences. 2. Pretending to be the offending driver Under the new amendments, it is now an offence to defeat the course of justice by asking someone else to pretend to be the offending driver for various situations. This involves not just the individual who is facing the penalties on behalf of someone else, but also the individual who is asking someone else to face the penalties on their behalf. The penalty for this offence includes facing imprisonment for up to 12 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Offenders will also be disqualified from driving. 3. Road rage While road rage has been steadily declining in recent years, this uncouth behaviour still exists among local drivers. As such, MHA is introducing new laws to make it easier for motorists who commit this offence to be completely disqualified from driving. According to a CNA article, this new amendment includes license disqualification for all offences under any written law committed in the context of road rage. These offences include voluntarily causing hurt, causing death by negligent act and wrongful restraint. For motorists who find themselves a victim of a road-rage offence, SAC Gerald advises drivers to: 1. Remain calm 2. Avoid an exchange of words 3. Apologise to diffuse the situation 4. Call the authorities if the offender continues to be hostile Additional amendments MHA has also introduced minor amendments with regards to road safety. 1. Driving license suspensions Under the new amendment, there is no need for secondary legislation to prescribe the circumstances and suspension lengths for future suspensions of driving licenses. This is to provide more operational flexibility. 2. Enhanced criminal penalties Enhanced criminal penalties for serious traffic offences and repeat offenders will only apply to individuals who have been convicted on at least 2 previous instances. This would mean that drivers who have been charged and convicted of the same offence before will face the enhanced penalties, even if the maximum penalty for the offence is lower. 3. Taking compounded offences into account for court sentencing With the new amendment, the court will be able to take into account any traffic offence compounded after 2019 as aggravating factors during sentencing. What are your thoughts on the new amendments? Should there be more done to ensure greater traffic safety on our roads? For further clarification on the new amendments, you can read the full article on Channel News Asia.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-mandatory-minimum-jail-sentences-among-proposed-amendments-11506954 New mandatory minimum jail sentences among proposed amendments to Road Traffic Act In the first reading of the Bill, the Ministry of Home Affairs laid out new penalties and tighter regulatory frameworks to deter irresponsible driving. By Cindy Co 06 May 2019 02:52PM(Updated: 06 May 2019 03:44PM) Share this content Bookmark SINGAPORE: New Mandatory Minimum Sentences (MMS) will be imposed on the most serious irresponsible driving offences in an amendment to the Road Traffic Act introduced in Parliament on Monday (May 6). These minimum sentences will meted out to offenders who show “egregious driving behaviour” and “cause death or injuries with long-lasting impact on the victim”. The amendments will also introduce two classes of irresponsible driving offences that the MMS will be applied to​​​​​​​: Dangerous driving and careless driving. The two categories will roughly correspond to the Rash Act and Negligent Act in the Penal Code. In effect, the MMS will be meted out to drivers charged for dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing grievous hurt. For dangerous driving causing death, first time offenders will face up to eight years in jail, with an MMS of two years. Second time offenders will face a minimum mandatory jail term of four years, with up to 15 years' imprisonment. As for first time offenders charged with dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, they will be subject to one year MMS, and face up to five years in jail. Second-time offenders on the above charge will face a two-year minimum jail sentence, with up to 10 years' imprisonment. There will also be add-on maximum penalties for dangerous and careless driving offences, should the motorist have committed the offence while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or failed to provide a specimen for analysis. A person found guilty of dangerous driving while causing death while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or failed to provide a specimen for analysis, will face up to 10 years in jail with a minimum sentence of three years if he is a first-time offender. A second-time offender for the above charge will face up to 19 years in jail, with a six-year MMS. A person found guilty of dangerous driving while causing grievous hurt while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or failed to provide a specimen for analysis, will face up to six years in jail with a minimum sentence of 18 months if he is a first-time offender. He will also be subject to a fine ranging from S$2,000 to S$10,000. A second-time offender for the above charge will face up to 12 years in jail, with a three-year MMS as well as a fine ranging from S$5,000 to S$20,000. These changes come in the wake of an observed increase in irresponsible and reckless driving by the Traffic Police, with the number of summonses issued to motorists increased from 152,700 in 2015 to 181,000 in 2018. In addition, the Traffic Police has also noted that the penalties for irresponsible driving in Singapore are less severe than in other jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong and Malaysia. The current maximum imprisonment term for causing death by dangerous driving in Singapore is imprisonment of up to five years, while other jurisdictions have a maximum penalty of up to 10 or 14 years. The MMS is part of enhanced criminal penalties included in the new amendments to deter irresponsible driving. UP TO THREE YEARS' JAIL FOR DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENCE Under the amendments, the penalties for driving under disqualification, suspension and driving without a licence will also be enhanced. The biggest change are the proposed amendments to penalties for driving without a licence. Currently, first time offenders will face up to three months imprisonment and a S$1,000 fine, while second time offenders will face up to six months imprisonment and S$2,000 fine. The enhanced penalties will mean that those driving without a licence will face up to three years imprisonment and an S$10,000 fine for their first offence, and a six-year imprisonment and an S$20,000 fine for their second offence. READ: Motorists to face harsher penalties for serious offences as MHA reviews traffic laws TIGHTENING REGULATORY REGIMES The Traffic Police will now give motorists four weeks to file their appeals for licence suspension and revocation when they have exceeded the maximum allowable demerit points. After the four weeks, the Traffic Police will have the power to suspend or revoke the licence, even if an appeal is underway. “This is to prevent motorists from filing multiple appeals in order to delay the start of the suspension or revocation,” said the Traffic Police. In addition, for motorists who have accumulated five or more suspensions, the period of suspension will be increased from a maximum of three years to five years. Compounded sentences will also take effect, where the courts will be able to take into account a motorist’s driving history in dealing out sentences. “A motorist’s driving record is a useful indicator of his driving behaviour,” said the Traffic Police, when explaining the rationale for proposed change. ACCIDENTS INVOLVING ANIMALS Under the new amendments to the Road Traffic Act, the definition of "animals" will also change. Currently, motorists are only required to stop, contact the owner and render assistance for certain species of animals, such as horses, cattle, pigs, goats and dogs. The Traffic Police has now expanded the definition to include all species of animals. Motorists would now be required to stop - providing it is safe to do so - the vehicle if he has “reasonable ground to believe that the animal involved in the accident has an owner or that the presence of the injured or dead animal on the road may pose a hazard to other road users”, said the Traffic Police. PUBLIC FEEDBACK The Ministry of Home Affairs noted broad public support for the proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act, through a series of public consultations conducted between February and March this year. In response to concerns that motorists would be held liable for accidents caused by victims, such as pedestrians, cyclists or PMD riders, the Traffic Police provided assurances that they would take into account the motorist’s driving behaviour. “When assessing whether a motorist should be held liable for an accident, Traffic Police will consider whether the motorist had been driving safely. “In addition, if the victim had engaged in risk-taking behaviour and violated traffic rules, Traffic Police will take the necessary enforcement action against him." Source: CNA/cc(rw)

Carpooling law: Car owners can now accept payments from passengers who hitch a ride. However, drivers cannot offer more than two rides a day, and it should not be for profit A car owner can now accept payment from passengers who hitch a ride. This and other rules and regulations governing carpooling came into effect on Monday under the Road Traffic Act in an effort to bring legal clarity to what was a grey area. The move is also expected to boost car sharing, which in turn should ease congestion on the roads and on public transport. The new laws state that it is illegal for drivers to solicit for passengers on the road, in public spaces or parking lots. A vehicle is primarily for the motorist's own use and not bought for the sole purpose of offering paid rides. Destinations of passengers must be clarified before the journey and drivers cannot offer more than two rides per day. The most interesting inclusion to the laws allows drivers to accept monetary compensation or payment in kind for offering rides - though it should not be for profit.

FYI bros .. especially those who still use phone at the red light when vehicle is stationary. please note it is now illegal to do so without a mount. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/transport/story/what-you-need-know-about-the-new-changes-the-road-traffic-act-feb-1-2 SINGAPORE - As of Feb 1, it will be illegal for drivers to hold any type of mobile device while driving. Previously, only calling or texting someone on a mobile phone was barred. On Sept 8, 2014, changes to the Road Traffic Act were passed into law and a wider range of mobile devices, as well as heavier penalties for offenders, was added to the Act. The changes were prompted by a 20 per cent rise in the past two years in the number of summonses for using a mobile phone while driving - from 2,938 in 2012 to 3,572 in 2013. Here's what you need to know about the changes. 1. Mobile devices Anyone caught using and holding a mobile device while driving can be found guilty of committing an offence. To be specific, mobile devices are any hand-held equipment which are designed or capable of being used for telecommunication. This means phones as well as tablets. 2. As long as you are using it, you can be charged It is no longer just talking or texting that will get you in trouble. The new changes include surfing the web, visiting social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and downloading material. The law applies to using and holding a device while driving, including when the car is stationary at a red light. 3. Okay if the device is mounted The amended law applies to drivers holding a device. It is not an offence to use the mobile device if it is mounted on a holder. 4. Penalties First-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000 and/or jailed for up to six months. Repeat offenders face up to $2,000 in fines and/or up to 12 months in jail. 5. What about wearables? Wearable technology such as the Google Glass and smart watches are not covered in the amended law. But the use of such devices could be classified as inconsiderate driving, an offence which carries up to a $1,000 fine and a six-month jail term. Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli commented on this during the amendment of the law in parliament on Sept 8, 2014, saying: "We will continue to monitor the situation... and study the practices of other jurisdictions as they evolve to deal with (new) types of smart devices."