In an effort to clamp down on dangerous driving, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is rolling out harsher penalties for speeding offences.

What’s Changing?

From the start of 2026, anyone caught exceeding the speed limit by up to 20km/h will now receive six demerit points, up from the current four.

The fines have gone up too: S$200 or S$250, depending on your vehicle type.

And if you’re one of those daredevils who exceed the limit by 50km/h or more, you’ll be staring down the barrel of 24 demerit points (immediate suspension) and a court date.

According to MHA, the number of fatal and injury-related accidents has risen every single year for the past five years. In 2024 alone, Singapore clocked 7,188 accidents and 142 road deaths. That’s more than two deaths a week.

Speeding was a major culprit. Not only did we hit a 10-year high for speeding violations in 2024 (192,000 cases), thbut ere was also a 43.8% increase in speeding-related fatalities, from 32 in 2023 to 46 last year.

MHA isn’t mincing words either. These enhanced penalties are meant to “better reflect” the severity of such offences and serve as a powerful deterrent.

Revised Speeding Penalties

It’s worth noting that this isn’t some arbitrary policy tweak. The groundwork was laid back in February during the Traffic Police’s Road Safety Day, when Minister K Shanmugam hinted at a tougher stance, though details were kept under wraps. Now, with the fine print revealed, it’s clear this is part of a broader push to instil a deeper culture of road safety.

“The enhanced penalties underscore MHA’s commitment to maintaining road safety. Road safety is ultimately a shared responsibility,” the ministry said in a statement. It’s a reminder that behind every statistic is a human story, a family member not coming home, a life irrevocably changed.

So, What Now?

Well, the simple answer is not to speed. The next time you feel the urge to push your speedo past the limit, ask yourself: is it really worth it?

Because starting in 2026, the system will hit you hard; in the wallet, on your licence, and maybe even in court.

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This initiative comes in response to a concerning rise in speeding violations, which have reached a decade-high.  

Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam announced the forthcoming changes, emphasising the government’s commitment to curbing dangerous driving behaviours. The revised penalties will see an increase in both demerit points and composition fines for those caught exceeding speed limits.

The surge in speeding incidents has raised alarms within the community and among policymakers. Speeding not only endangers the life of the driver but also poses significant risks to pedestrians and other road users.

By imposing heftier penalties, the government seeks to enhance deterrence by making the consequences of speeding more severe, encouraging responsible driving habits by fostering a mindset of caution and adherence to traffic regulations among motorists.  

The increased penalties are part of a broader strategy to cultivate safer roads in Singapore. Complementary measures will include public education campaigns, enhanced enforcement through the deployment of more speed cameras and regular patrols, and community engagement efforts.  

By addressing the issue from multiple angles, Singapore aims to create an environment where safety is paramount and reckless driving becomes a rarity.  

The team at AutoApp will update this article when the new demerit point and composition fine figures are made available to the public.

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In case you didn’t know, red light cameras (RLCs) at traffic light-controlled junctions in Singapore have an in-built speed-detection and enforcement function.

This function has remained dormant until now.

Also in case you didn’t know, there are 242 RLCs dotted around our island. A full list of RLC locations can be found here.

According to a press release by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), this speed enforcement function will progressively be turned on in RLCs islandwide from the second quarter of 2024 onwards, starting at locations that are more accident- or violation-prone.

The press release also states that although the number of red light-running violations decreased in 2023, speeding violations reportedly increased by 22%, from 52,016 cases in 2022 to 63,468 in 2023.

This is the reason behind the progressive activation of RLCs’ speed enforcement functionality from Q2 2024 onwards. Our best guess is for this initiative to be rolled out islandwide by the end of 2024, but we reserve the right to be wrong.

An RLC is activated when a traffic light turns red, and the induction-loop sensors before and after the stop line are sequentially triggered by a vehicle that runs the red light.

Two bright flashes mean said vehicle’s licence plate has been photographed, which then also likely leaves a Titanic-level sinking feeling in the offending driver’s stomach.

Now with the speed enforcement functionality about to be turned on, our best guess is that this function will be active from whenever it is green light to just after red. Best guess because we were told by SPF in an email-reply that “information related to Police’s operations are confidential in nature”.

Best then to assume the worst, and watch your speed closely while approaching a junction with an active RLC.

Also, unless you’re right on the edge of the stop line, don’t think about accelerating to get past an amber light due to the possibility of getting nailed for both red-light running and speeding.

Alongside the above, the Traffic Police (TP) is also working on increasing composition fines and demerit points for certain traffic offences, and more details will be announced later this year.

Again, our best guess is that this initiative possibly points to potentially increased speed-enforcement action from TP in the future via dedicated speed cameras.

A list of speed-camera locations can be found here.

So the next time Waze or Google Maps says “red light camera ahead” or “speed camera ahead” in this fine city of Singapore, take heed.

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