Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Last Date of Review and Enhancement of the Penalties for Driving Under the Influence of Drink

Question:

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) when were penalties for driving under the influence of drink last reviewed and enhanced; and (b) whether there had been significant reduction in drink driving offences since the enhancement.

Answer:

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

1.   The Government last reviewed and enhanced the penalties for drink driving offences in July 2019. The enhancements were brought into force in November 2019.

2.   In 2019, there were 2,051 drink driving offences and 162 accidents attributed to drink driving. The number of offences fell to 1,576 in 2020, and further to 1,470 in 2021. In 2020, there were 146 accidents attributed to drink driving, and this increased slightly to 155 in 2021.

3.   The decreases may be because of lower road traffic volumes during the pandemic. A longer period of monitoring will be required in order to make any meaningful assessment.