Holding and using your mobile devices while you are driving, be it a phone or tablet, will get you in trouble - that is if you do not already endanger the lives of yourself, your passengers and other road users.
Under changes to the Road Traffic Act passed in Parliament on Monday 8 September, the act will be a criminal offence and will get you fined and jailed.
First-time offenders may be fined up to S$1,000 and/or jailed for up to six months. The penalty is doubled for repeat offenders.
The amended laws, which will come into effect in February 2015, make it illegal to make calls, send text messages, to surf the internet, play games, check emails or social media, and download with a mobile device.
However, these apply only if the device is held in one hand while the vehicle is moving.
Several Members of Parliament (MPs) called for even stricter laws because they felt these are still inadequate to cover the dangers posed by this habit among motorists, Today reported.
OTHER GADGETS AND DEVICES
Of the eight MPs who spoke, some pointed out that devices mounted on dashboards, gaming devices and other IT gadgets wearable such as Google Glass are not covered by the law and they are also distractions.
Others said it should be an offence to hold and use these devices even when the vehicle is not moving, because motorists will still use them when they stop at traffic lights or in a traffic jam, the newspaper reported.
Hri Kumar, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, said in a Channel NewsAsia report: 'Everyone knows that using phones while driving is not safe, so we comfort ourselves by saying that we can use hands-free devices.
'But there are many studies which claim that using hands-free devices is equally dangerous as using handheld devices. This is because the real distraction is the phone conversation, and it matters less that you have both hands on the wheel.'
He added: 'The restriction should apply to the entire driving process. Drivers should remain alert to road conditions and any other road users until the car is safely parked.'
Gerald Giam, a non-constituency, referred to a study published in the British Medical Journal, where a driver is '4.9 times more likely to get into an accident when using a mobile phone while driving'.
'Even using a hands-free accessory is not much safer. It has been found to increase the risk (of an accident) by 3.8 times,' he said.
He added that the authorities have to 'constantly remind drivers through public education of the dangers of using their mobile phones while on the road', the news channel reported.
INCREASE IN SUMMONS
The number of summonses issued to motorists using their mobile phones while driving has increased over the years, from 2,817 in 2011 to 3,572 last year. In the first six months of the year, 1,761 summonses were issued, Today reported.
In Parliament, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said in the news report that the authorities had 'deliberately decided to take a measured approach in tightening the rules on handphone driving'.
'It is neither possible nor practical for the law to specify all the actions and devices that could potentially distract a driver,' he said, adding that Singapore's approach is consistent with that of jurisdictions such as Hong Kong.
'We will continue to monitor the situation after the new changes come into effect and study practices of other jurisdictions, as they evolve to deal with other types of smart devices that are being developed.'
OTHER CHANGES TO ROAD TRAFFIC ACT
- Drivers of light goods vehicles and small buses will need to take the Practical Driving Test when renewing licences. They will then be issued with a full Class 3 licence.
- Vehicle owners need to give Traffic Police details of a traffic offence within 14 days of receiving notice, extended from seven days. Failing which, the owner will be charged with failing to furnish the information, on top of being charged for the traffic offence.
- Motorists involved in accidents that have caused damage or injury have to provide their particulars to the owner of the vehicle or property, even when no one is around to ask for the information. For example, if a motorist hits a parked car, he should leave a note on the damaged car with his particulars.
Unless first contacted by the owner, all motorists must report the accident to the police within 24 hours. Failure to do so will make the motorist liable to be charged under the offence of hit-and-run.
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