Putting a halt to using mobile devices while driving: Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2014

Proposed Bill would apply to tablet computers, includes surfing the Net and downloading material
By Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 6 Aug 2014

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.

There were 3,572 summonses issued for such offences last year, up 21.6 per cent from 2,938 in 2012, according to Traffic Police figures.

In the first half of this year, 1,761 summonses were issued, compared with 1,700 issued in the same period last year. First-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000 and/or jailed for up to six months. Repeat offenders get up to double the penalty.

The new Bill "will strengthen (the) Traffic Police's enforcement powers, enhance competency of drivers, as well as clarify the expected behaviour of vehicle owners and motorists on responsible road use", the Ministry of Home Affairs said. The changes are expected to be debated at the next Parliamentary sitting.

Associate Professor Gopinath Menon, who teaches transportation engineering at Nanyang Technological University, welcomed the proposed changes.

"Some drivers use their tablet devices for checking e-mail because of the bigger screen, and they may even perform multiple tasks with their tablets," he said. "Any type of distraction won't be good for drivers."

Last year, a street poll of 140 motorists by The Sunday Times found that about seven in 10 admitted to using their phones while driving. This is even though most knew it was against the law.

Most respondents said they took calls and read text messages while driving, but there were also those who played games and used social media like Facebook.

While it is an offence when a driver holds a phone and uses it to communicate with someone else, it is not against the law to use the phone if it is mounted on a holder. This will apply to other mobile devices as well, under the new Bill.

Other amendments in the new Bill include a requirement for work pass holders who need to drive as part of their jobs to obtain a local driving licence within six months after their work passes had been issued.

This could affect some industries, such as construction.

BD CraneTech director Jeffrey Lim said more details will be needed as this could affect work pass holders differently, depending on their country of origin.

For example, those from India can convert their international driving licences to local ones. "This should not take too long, and they would still be able to meet the (proposed) requirement within six months," said Mr Lim.

But others from places like Myanmar or Bangladesh cannot do so and have to take theory and practical tests in Singapore, he added.

The Ministry of Home Affairs said the amendment is to ensure that "motorists, local and foreign, are familiar with Singapore's traffic rules and conditions, and are sufficiently competent to drive on our roads". It last amended the Road Traffic Act in 2010.

Details on corrective Safe Driving Course
By Ng Lian Cheong and Livia Yap, Channel NewsAsia, 5 Aug 2014

Drivers with 12 or more demerit points can soon take a refresher course in road safety in exchange for removing three demerit points. Traffic Police are expected to implement the voluntary corrective training Safe Driving Course (SDC) next year, as part of the amendments to the Road Traffic Bill proposed in Parliament on Monday (Aug 4).

The course requires drivers to attend five hours of lectures and two hours of practical lessons at assigned driving centres. They must then pass a one-hour test in order to have the points removed from their records.

Driving centres are currently upgrading their systems to allow online registration for courses. They said it will take just one month to complete the course upon registration. It is expected to cost more than a hundred dollars, and every driver only has two chances to take the course.

"It is a healthy reminder to them, that you have reached that point, you should go for the refresher course and I give you three points back, but I think it should (only) serve as a healthy reminder, that please change your driving habits and be a good driver," said Mr Seng Han Thong, Deputy Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport. 

NEW CURBS ON USING MOBILE DEVICES WHILE DRIVING
Motorists give 'green light' but...
Some feel proposed changes do not adequately address the root problem: driving while distracted
By Lester Hio, Marissa Lee And Danson Cheong, The Straits Times, 7 Aug 2014

WHILE motoring experts and drivers welcome the recent proposed amendment to the law that aims to stop people from holding and using their mobile devices while driving, some feel that it may not adequately address the root problem: driving while distracted.

Under the planned change to the Road Traffic Act, anyone caught operating any function of a mobile communication device while holding it and driving could be found guilty of committing an offence.

Currently, it is an offence to hold a mobile phone and communicate with another person while driving.

The change will apply not only to mobile phones, but all mobile communication devices, such as iPads and other tablet devices.

The amended Bill states that as long as the device is mounted on a holder, it is not an offence to use it. But some motorists say that any distraction while driving is potentially unsafe, even if the driver is not holding a mobile device.

Part-time cabby Mr David Chua, 61, said: "What's the difference between holding the phone and mounting it in a holder?

"I have a holder and when I touch the phone on the holder, I'm not concentrating. It's not an offence, but it's still a distraction."

Automobile Association of Singapore president Bernard Tay said that using a mobile device at the wheel could distract drivers in two ways - through "inattention blindness", in which drivers fail to visually process or remember what their eyes see, and "tunnel vision", whereby drivers gaze centrally ahead instead of scanning their surroundings.

Mr Tay was citing a 2013 report by the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Utah.

Mr Hamim Mohamed, 51, a driver-cum-delivery rider, agreed that looking at a mobile device while driving is "not safe".

"The proper thing to do would be to use a earpiece," he said. "What happens if the driver in front jams his brakes just as you touch your device?"

Other motorists have raised questions of enforcement, especially with regard to driving-related functions.

For instance, undergraduate Qiu Yonghui, 23, uses her iPhone as a GPS device in her car. She also pointed out that the amendment might not deter people from using their phone while driving.

"It might be difficult to enforce," she said. "I could be holding my phone, but if I see the traffic police approaching, I can just drop it onto my lap."

Indeed, The Straits Times last night spent an hour observing motorists at two busy junctions in Toa Payoh and spotted at least 32 motorists using mobile devices while driving.

Lawyer Chia Boon Teck of Chia Wong LLP said that the proposed change is in need of fine-tuning. For example, it would only cover motorists using devices with their hands.

"It would therefore be possible for someone using a tablet on his lap while driving to posit that his actions do not fall within the ambit of the amended provision," said Mr Chia.

However, the general consensus is that the amendment is a step in the right direction.

"It's a good law," said Mr Gerard Pereria, 57, operations manager at the Singapore Safety Driving School. "The whole idea of the authorities is that they want you to concentrate 100 per cent on the road. They're taking it step by step."

5 things you should know about proposed changes to the Road Traffic Act
By Marissa Lee, The Straits Times, 6 Aug 2014

On Monday, proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act were tabled in Parliament. The new rules will give more teeth to authorities to deal with errant drivers who use mobile devices while driving. These proposed changes come amid a surge in phone-and-drive offences. Last year, 3,572 summonses were issued to motorists for using their mobile devices while driving. In 2012, that number was 2,938.

1. Anyone caught using and holding a mobile device while driving can be found guilty of committing an offence under proposed changes to the Road Traffic Act. 

2. Mobile devices covered under this Act include mobile phones and tablets, among other devices.

3. Proposed new rules prohibit drivers from surfing the web, visiting social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and downloading material, in addition to current rules which prohibit drivers from making calls and sending text messages.

4. It is not an offence to use the mobile device if it is mounted on a holder.

5. First-time offenders can be fined up to $1,000 and/or jailed for up to six months. Repeat offenders face up to double the penalty.