Holding your phone while driving could land you in jail under the proposed stricter traffic laws by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
MHA tabled the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, which would involve first-time offenders getting jail time of up to six months and a fine of S$1,000. The law will not include mounted devices or holding the phone while the vehicle is stationary.
MHA says this is in response to roads becoming more unsafe, with traffic deaths increasing by about 24 per cent between 2021 and 2025, while traffic violations rose by about 38 per cent. Additional revisions include extended jail time for careless and dangerous driving.
This was among the proposals, responses and statements mentioned in Parliament on July 7.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming responded to questions on the online posts targeting the Indian community which were taken down by the government earlier this year. Mr Goh said there is currently no evidence to suggest that the posts were a coordinated campaign by any particular Government or organisation.
Leader of the House and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah also delivered a ministerial statement, clarifying that there will be no further action on Workers’ Party (WP) Chair Sylvia Lim and former Member of Parliament (MP) Faisal Manap in the Committee of Privileges inquiry into former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan’s lies to Parliament in 2021.
Transport took centre stage in the session as the motion of “Reinforcing Singapore’s position as a global transport hub” was discussed, which the House unanimously supported.
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow announced that S$800 million will be pumped into the transport sector over the next five years. “We will use these funds to back ideas that could completely transform how transport operates today,” he said.
Some of the plans include a fully automated depot that allows for more efficient maintenance and repairs of trains, a smart port network and an AI-enabled air traffic management system that increases regional airspace capacity.
Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng also spoke on how the money could be invested in projects supporting air traffic and the maritime sector. These examples included AI-enabled port analytics and predictive traffic management.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling announced a support package for private-hire and taxi drivers affected by the introduction of autonomous vehicles (AVs), which will focus on three key areas: long-term career conversion programmes, a new training scheme featuring short courses, and career guidance initiatives. The career conversion programmes will come with up to 90 per cent of salary support, and will be geared toward those looking to switch to the AV or public transport sector. Drivers will receive training incentives of $20 an hour, capped at 80 hours, if they attend any eligible course supported by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency, starting from January 2027.
The approximately nine-hour-long sitting also covered the use of Chinese dialects in media and the impact of tuberculosis screenings.
