Question:
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) when was it made mandatory for heavy vehicles to be equipped with a speed limiter; (b) since then, whether there have been any cases of tampering with these speed limiters; (c) whether the number of speeding offences among heavy vehicles has dropped since speed limiters have been made compulsory; and (d) if so, by how much.
Answer:
1. Since 1999, the Traffic Police has required all heavy vehicles, with a maximum laden weight greater than 12,000 kilogrammes (kg), to be installed with speed limiters which impose a speed limit of 60km/h.
2. From 1999 to 2020, 24 cases of tampering of speed limiters were prosecuted and convicted. This is an offence under the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Speed Limiters) Rules. First-time offenders are liable for an imprisonment term of up to three months or a fine of up to $1,000. Repeat offenders are liable for an imprisonment term of up to six months or a fine of up to $2,000.
3. The Traffic Police only started tracking the breakdown of speeding violations for those committed by heavy vehicles with speed limiters from 2011, and therefore is not able to provide a before-and-after comparison since the start of the speed limiter regime in 1999.
