Debated in Parliament on 12 Sep 2022.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Home Affairs in respect of drivers and private-hire platform drivers who have committed at least one traffic offence in the past five years (a) what is the number and percentage expressed as part of the total licensed population of drivers; and (b) what is the number of (i) licence suspensions after accumulating the full demerit points (ii) licence reinstatements after the drivers have served their suspension period and (iii) drivers who have attended the safety retraining at least once.
Between 2017 and 2021, approximately 596,000 Class 3 and Class 3A license holders committed at least one traffic offence. These include offences such as speeding, running of red light, failing to wear a seatbelt, and crossing a double white line. This figure was approximately 29% of all Class 3 and Class 3A licence holders in the same time period. Traffic Police (TP) does not track the occupation of licence holders.
Among these 596,000 Class 3 and Class 3A licence holders, TP suspended 16,404 who had accumulated the threshold number of demerit points for license suspension. Of these, TP has reinstated 5,497 licences, after the suspension periods lapsed.
The Safe Driving Course is a voluntary programme to help motorists who have accumulated demerit points, but are not yet liable for suspension, improve their driving behaviour. The course was last revised in November 2017 to widen the eligibility criteria and raise the number of demerit points to be expunged from participants’ records. From November 2017 to June 2022, 48,053 motorists attended the course.
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