Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Road Accidents Attributable to Handphone Usage

Question:

Mr Yip Hon Weng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the number of road accident cases related to the use of handphones when driving on the road; (b) whether there are plans to increase enforcement and penalties for the use of handphones while driving on the road; and (c) whether the Ministry can provide details on its plans to increase surveillance on the roads through having more cameras.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1. Between 2019 and 2023, there were no road traffic accidents where there was evidence to directly attribute the accidents to the use of a mobile phone while operating a vehicle.

2. We assess that our penalties for such offences are sufficient for now.

3. The Traffic Police (TP) will continue to enforce against the offence.

4. TP will be activating the speeding enforcement function in the existing Red-Light Cameras from the second quarter of this year. These cameras, however, are not able to detect the use of mobile phones while driving.