SG Singapore Driver
Knowledge base Road rules 11 min read

Headlights and lights while driving

Singapore’s Highway Code guidance on headlights, dipping, rain and poor visibility, alongside statutory night-lighting, direction-indicator, motorcycle headlamp, and stop-light requirements.

headlights lights night-driving Highway-Code

Primary source: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/RTA1961-R10?DocDate=20211230&ValidDate=20220103

The Highway Code gives road-user guidance. Under Road Traffic Act 1961 section 112(5), failure to follow a Code provision does not by itself make a person liable to criminal proceedings, although it may be considered in proceedings when liability is in question. Separate vehicle-lighting rules impose requirements for lamps on vehicles. The current Lighting Rules page states it is current as at 11 October 2026; I rechecked the cited provisions and the article's lighting requirements remain supported (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, section 112; Singapore Statutes Online, current Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Lighting) Rules, rules 2 and 4–7).

At night

The lighting rules define “hours of darkness” as 7.00 p.m. to 7.00 a.m. During those hours, every vehicle on a road must carry two front-facing white lamps and two rear-facing red lamps. When a motor vehicle is moving, each lamp that the rules require it to carry must be lit. The Highway Code separately advises drivers to use their headlights during the same hours (Singapore Statutes Online, current Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Lighting) Rules, rules 2, 4 and 5; Singapore Statutes Online, Highway Code, paragraph 95).

When a vehicle’s headlamps are lit under the night-lighting rule, they must emit a dipped beam on a road with lit street lamps placed no more than 150 metres apart. The Highway Code also advises using dipped headlights at night in built-up areas where street lighting is poor or during rainy weather (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Lighting) Rules, rule 5(2); Singapore Statutes Online, Highway Code, paragraph 96).

On unlit or dimly lit roads, the Highway Code says to use headlights. Dip them when meeting other vehicles or cyclists, and when driving behind another vehicle. If another vehicle’s lights dazzle you, slow down and stop if necessary (Singapore Statutes Online, Highway Code, paragraphs 97–98). The SPF Basic Theory of Driving handbook also advises drivers to stay within the limits of their headlights at night and warns that pedestrians on a central divider may be difficult to see when dazzled by oncoming lights (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving).

Rain, poor visibility and tunnels

The Highway Code advises switching on lights in daytime when visibility is poor or it is raining, so other road users can see the vehicle. OneMotoring likewise advises motorists to switch on headlights during inclement weather to enhance visibility (Singapore Statutes Online, Highway Code, paragraph 99; OneMotoring, Road Safety). LTA’s expressway and tunnel guidance also says to switch on headlights when driving in road tunnels (OneMotoring, Driving in Expressways and Tunnels).

LTA says street lights operate according to seasonal sunrise and sunset timings. Its Remote Control and Monitoring System (RCMS) allows street-lighting hours to be adjusted during inclement weather when required and automatically detects faults so maintenance can be arranged. This describes the street-lighting system; drivers should still switch on their vehicle headlights in inclement weather to improve visibility (OneMotoring, Road Safety).

Motorcycles and stationary vehicles

A motorcycle rider must keep the motorcycle’s headlamp lit whenever the motorcycle is in motion, including in daytime. A motorcycle first registered in Singapore on or after 1 November 1997 must have a device that automatically switches the headlamp to dipped beam when the engine starts and keeps it lit while the engine runs (Singapore Statutes Online, current Road Traffic Rules, rule 35; Singapore Statutes Online, current Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Lighting) Rules, rule 6A).

The lighting rules say a vehicle’s headlamp must not be kept lit while the vehicle is stationary on a road, except during an enforced stoppage or when a public service vehicle stops to pick up or set down passengers. Lamps fitted to a motor vehicle must be unobscured, clean and efficient (Singapore Statutes Online, current Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Lighting) Rules, rules 6–7).

When parking at night on an unlit or poorly lit road, the Highway Code says it is advisable to leave side or parking lights on (Singapore Statutes Online, Highway Code, paragraph 100).

Direction indicators

Except for tractors, land implements, works vehicles and two-wheeled motorcycles registered before 1 January 1975, a motor vehicle must have a matched pair of front direction indicators. Every motor vehicle and trailer must also have a matched pair of rear indicators; a trailer is exempt if the towing vehicle’s rear indicators are fully visible from behind. A matched pair of side indicators is additionally required for a public service vehicle with seating for more than 15 persons excluding the driver, a vehicle constructed to tow a trailer, and a vehicle registered after 1 January 1975 whose total length exceeds 8 metres. Other vehicles may also have side indicators (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, rr. 25–26).

Indicators must be on the vehicle’s external surface and on the appropriate side of its centreline. When unladen, no part of the illuminated area may be more than 1.5 metres above the ground unless the Registrar approves a height below 2 metres. The outer edge of the illuminated area must be within 400 millimetres of the vehicle’s outer edge. A side indicator must be positioned within the front third of the vehicle’s overall length. Indicators must not mislead others when switched off; indicators on the same side of a vehicle and its attached trailer must operate from the same switch (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, r. 27).

An indicator must flash constantly between 60 and 120 times per minute, start flashing within 1 second of being switched on, and leave an observable interval between flashes. Indicators on the same side must flash simultaneously; sequentially flashing indicator lamps are not permitted by rule 28. When the indicators on one side are switched on and all of them are operating, the vehicle must give its seated driver a readily visible or audible warning. A failure in one indicator must not disable the others. Indicators on vehicles registered after 1 January 1975 must show amber light. For earlier vehicles, indicators visible both front and rear must be amber; front-only indicators may be amber or white, and rear-only indicators amber or red (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, r. 28).

For vehicles registered on or after 1 January 1975, the minimum illuminated area showing to the front and rear is 20 square centimetres for a vehicle adapted to carry no more than 6 persons excluding the driver, and 50 square centimetres for other vehicles. Larger rear indicators are required for public service vehicles registered on or after 1 July 1980 and adapted to carry more than 14 persons excluding the driver, and for goods vehicles registered on or after that date with an unladen weight exceeding 1,500 kilograms: their rear indicators must have an illuminated area of at least 60 square centimetres or that of a circle 88 millimetres in diameter. The rule sets different area thresholds for vehicles registered before 1975 (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, r. 29).

Brake and stop lights

Construction and Use Rules require a two-wheeled motorcycle, with or without a side-car, to have one stop light; other vehicles must have a matched pair. The fitment requirement does not apply to land tractors, land implements, works vehicles, or a trailer when the towing vehicle’s stop lights are fully visible from the rear. A motorcycle’s stop light must sit on its longitudinal axis; on other vehicles, the prescribed distance from the outer edge of the illuminated surface to the vehicle’s outermost part must not exceed 400 millimetres (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, rule 30(1)–(4)).

A stop light must show a steady red light, diffused by frosted glass or another adequate means, and be visible from behind when the braking system that operates it is applied. For vehicles other than two-wheeled motorcycles, the stop-light circuits must be arranged so that one light’s failure does not disable the other. The rule sets the centre of the illuminated area between 0.4 metre and 1.5 metres above the ground when the vehicle is unladen; the Registrar may approve a height above 1.5 metres but below 2.0 metres. The ordinary filament rating is 15–36 watts (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, rule 30(5)–(10)).

Where extra stop lights are fitted, they must be a single light or a matched pair, positioned centrally or symmetrically as applicable and built to a Registrar-approved standard. A vehicle may have no more than two matched pairs, or one matched pair and one single light (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, rule 30(11)–(13)).

For a public service vehicle registered on or after 1 July 1980 with capacity for more than 14 persons excluding the driver, or a goods vehicle registered on or after that date with an unladen weight exceeding 1,500 kilograms, the stop-light filaments must be rated 25–50 watts. Each such stop light must have an illuminated area at least as large as a circle 88 millimetres in diameter or 60 square centimetres (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, rule 31).

Coverage debt

  • SPF’s current published penalties table, retrieved 2026-10-16, does not separately identify a composition amount for driving without headlights during the 7.00 p.m.–7.00 a.m. period. No amount is stated here (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences).

Sources