ANYONE caught using any function of his mobile device and holding it while driving could be found guilty of committing an offence, under proposed changes to improve road safety.
This includes not just communicating with someone else via calls or texts, which are offences under existing law, but also surfing the Internet, visiting social media platforms and downloading videos.
The new rules would apply not just to phones but also all mobile communication devices, such as iPads, under the broadened Road Traffic Act. The proposed amendments to the Act, tabled in Parliament on Monday, come amid a rise in phone-and-drive offences.
MHA proposes tighter laws on mobile phone use while driving
In proposed changes to the Road Traffic Act, motorists who hold and operate mobile devices will be committing an offence. Today File Photo
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Extra 'eyes' will be on the look out for illegally parked cars from 14 April
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) wants to widen the dragnet on the worsening problem of motorists using their mobile phones while behind the wheel.
In proposed changes to the Road Traffic Act tabled yesterday, motorists who hold and operate any function of mobile communication devices, including tablet computers, will be committing an offence. This means checking of e-mails or flicking through one’s Facebook account will be disallowed, if the legislative changes are passed.
Existing laws only prohibit motorists from holding their mobile phones and communicating with another person, such as sending text messages or taking a phone call, while they are driving.
10 more locations to have CCTVs to deter illegal parking
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will install Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at 10 more locations from Sept 22 to deter illegal parking, bringing the total number of public roads with CCTVs to 30.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will install Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at 10 more locations from Sept 22 to deter illegal parking, bringing the total number of public roads with CCTVs to 30.
In a press release today (Sept 17), the LTA said that the location of the cameras had been chosen based on such considerations as the frequency of illegal parking cases, the number of public bus services in that area, the amount of pedestrians and road users in the area, and their proximity to areas like malls, amenities and eateries.
All CCTV monitoring zones are clearly demarcated by parking restriction lines as well as signs to highlight their presence, said the LTA. In addition, available lamp posts or sign posts within the zones are painted with a vertical strip in a bright orange colour.
Upgraded cameras nab 1,175 motorists
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The first digital red light enforcement camera was installed at the junction of Victoria and Arab streets in November 2013. An upgraded digital red light camera system has caught 1,175 motorists for beating red lights, barely three months after it was set up
An upgraded digital red light camera system has caught 1,175 motorists for beating red lights, barely three months after it was set up.
An upgraded digital red light camera system has caught 1,175 motorists for beating red lights, barely three months after it was set up.
In March, the police starting operating a new generation of digital cameras, that do away with film, at five traffic junctions. Installation has been completed at 30 junctions and the upgrading of all 240 red light cameras will be completed by June next year, said the police on Sunday evening.
These cameras work round the clock and the digital photos of errant motorists can be retrieved remotely, unlike the older cameras which rely on film that have to be physically replaced when they run out.
Cameras installed to stop illegal parking
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will activate Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras at 10 locations which are among 30 spots earlier identified for the installation of CCTV cameras to stop illegal parking and improve traffic conditions.
The LTA will progressively install CCTV cameras at the remaining 20 locations, with a target to be operational by end-2014. In a statement today, the LTA says the expansion of the CCTV coverage follows the successful trial along Beach Road, in front of Golden Mile Complex, and at Marine Parade Central, in front of Parkway Parade Shopping Centre.
The 30 locations where CCTVs will be installed are public roads across the island, and are generally selected on considerations that include the incidence of illegal parking particularly where the roads serve a high number of public bus services and whether illegal parking raises safety concerns
CCTVs to be activated in 10 locations across Singapore starting April 14
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In an attempt curb illegal parking and improve traffic conditions, Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras will be activated at 10 identified locations across Singapore with effect from April 14, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said today (April 4)
Twenty others locations are also slated to get CCTVs installed by the end of this year. LTA said that the CCTVs were placed in locations which fell under the following criteria: Public roads where the frequency of committing the offence is high, places where illegal parking could obstruct traffic or endanger pedestrians, and places where there is a high concentration of pedestrian traffic, such as at places near amenities, eateries and popular malls.
The expansion comes after a successful trial of the CCTVs at Beach Road and Marine Parade Central.
LTA said that it will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the CCTVs after implementation and review the need for expansion to other areas.
