Knowledge base Road rules Updated 14 Oct 2026 11 min read

Using a mobile communication device while driving or riding in Singapore

Singapore law restricts mobile-device use while driving on roads or riding on public paths; the Highway Code and LTA also give distraction and public-path alertness guidance.

mobile-phone mobile-device public-path distracted-driving Road Traffic Act

Primary source: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/RTA1961?ProvIds=pr65B-

What section 65B prohibits

Under section 65B of the Road Traffic Act 1961, a driver commits an offence if they hold a mobile communication device in a hand and operate any of its communicative or other functions while the vehicle is moving on a road or in a public place. A mobile communication device includes a mobile phone, or a wireless handheld device or wearable device that is designed or capable of a communicative function. The Act lists messaging, calls, electronic documents, images, audio or video files, and internet access as communicative functions (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, section 65B).

The Act says section 65B(1) does not apply to a wearable device, such as a smartwatch, when it is worn in the manner intended by its manufacturer (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, section 65B(1A)).

2026 amendment and commencement

The current section 65B offence requires the driver to hold a device, operate one of its functions, and do so while the vehicle is in motion on a road or in a public place. MHA’s 2026 bill explainer says drivers may hold their device while the vehicle is stationary; the current offence is tied to the vehicle being in motion (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, section 65B; MHA, Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026).

The Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026 will amend section 65B by removing the requirement to prove that the driver operated a device function. It also says a driver does not hold a device by touching it when it is secured in a vehicle-mounted holder in the manner intended by the holder’s manufacturer. The Act starts on a date appointed by Gazette notification; its published text does not state that date. MHA said it plans to operationalise the amendments in early 2027, but that planned period is not a Gazette commencement date. As rechecked on 2026-10-14, the current SSO commencement listing includes the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2025 notification but no notification for the 2026 Act. Until the 2026 Act is commenced by Gazette notification, apply the current section 65B wording. Check for a Gazette notification before applying the amendment (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, sections 1 and 10; SSO, 2026 Subsidiary Legislation Supplement commencement search; MHA, Second Reading Wrap-Up Speech on the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026).

MHA says the amendment is intended to let Traffic Police enforce the offence using cameras or photographic or video evidence submitted by the public. It also says TP intends to use camera technology as far as possible. This describes the planned enforcement approach and does not change which section 65B wording is currently in force (MHA, Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026; MHA, Second Reading Wrap-Up Speech).

When the amendment commences, holding a mobile communication device while the vehicle is moving will itself meet the amended section 65B test, even if the driver is not operating a function. Touching a device secured in a vehicle-mounted holder as intended will not count as holding it. MHA says mounted-device use has not itself been criminalised, but depending on the facts, distraction affecting driving behaviour may constitute careless or dangerous driving. Rule 126 separately prohibits installing a visual display unit in a way that poses a safety hazard or causes distraction, and restricts screen visibility and reach of controls, subject to stated exceptions including a unit used solely for navigation (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2026, sections 1 and 10; Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 64-65; Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, rule 126; MHA, Second Reading Wrap-Up Speech on the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026).

The SPF handbook gives examples of prohibited use such as texting, dialling, or pressing a button to receive a call while holding the device as the vehicle moves. It says hands-free headset use is acceptable under this rule when the driver is not holding the mobile device. If you need to use a device, the handbook advises moving to a safe place, such as a car park, and using it while stationary (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving handbook).

The Highway Code separately says drivers must not be distracted while driving: do not use any mobile communication device or turn your head to talk with passengers, and do not allow children or pets to obstruct or distract the driver (Singapore Statutes Online, Highway Code, para. 108).

In-vehicle visual display units

Rule 126 separately restricts visual display units, defined as appliances or electronic systems that show images or words on a screen. A unit must not be used or installed for use if its screen is partly or wholly visible to the driver from the driving seat, or if controls other than the sound-volume control and main switch are within the driver's reach. Exceptions cover units displaying the vehicle's or equipment's state, used solely for navigation, used to help the driver see the area around the vehicle, public-service-vehicle message or fare systems, special Civil Defence or Police uses, or information approved by the Registrar. Even an excepted unit must not be installed in a way that distracts drivers of other vehicles, poses a safety hazard, or interferes with ERP signals (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Construction and Use) Rules, r. 126).

Riding on a public path

The Active Mobility Act separately prohibits a driver or rider of a vehicle from holding a mobile communication device in a hand and operating its communication or other functions while the vehicle is moving on a public path. The prohibition does not apply to a vehicle that is driving itself or to a wearable device worn in the manner intended by its manufacturer. The court penalty is up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to 3 months, or both; for a repeat offender, it is up to $2,000, imprisonment for up to 6 months, or both (Singapore Statutes Online, Active Mobility Act 2017, section 22A).

SPF’s published penalty table lists the road-driving mobile-device offence at 12 demerit points, with composition amounts of $400 for a light vehicle or $500 for a heavy vehicle. The row has an asterisk, and SPF’s footnote says specified offences at pedestrian crossings or offences endangering pedestrian safety in School Zones, Silver Zones or Friendly Streets receive two additional points; composition fines for these zone offences rise by $100, capped at $500. Read together, the marked mobile-device row and footnote state that the base light-vehicle composition amount becomes $500 for a qualifying zone offence; the heavy-vehicle amount remains capped at $500. The current DIPS Rules list Schedule item 42, use of a mobile telephone while driving, among the offences for which the Deputy Commissioner may award two additional points when committed or reasonably suspected in a defined School Zone, Silver Zone or Friendly Streets zone (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences; Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules, r. 3(1A) and Schedule, item 42).

LTA’s current conduct guidance tells riders of bicycles, three-wheeled pedal cycles, recumbents, power-assisted bicycles, personal mobility devices, and personal mobility aids not to use mobile communication devices while riding on public paths. Its road-riding rules separately state that cyclists and power-assisted bicycle riders must not use mobile communication devices while riding on roads (LTA, Rules & Code of Conduct).

LTA separately advises pedestrians on public paths to avoid using mobile communication devices, including listening to music, in a way that prevents them from detecting danger or oncoming obstacles. This is pedestrian alertness guidance; LTA lists the stricter no-device rule separately for active-mobility riders (LTA, Rules & Code of Conduct).

Published penalties

SPF’s current traffic-offence table lists 12 demerit points and a composition amount of $400 for a light vehicle or $500 for a heavy vehicle for using a mobile communication device while driving (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences).

Separately, a person convicted under section 65B(1) is liable to a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to 6 months, or both. For a repeat offender, the maximum is a fine of $2,000, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, section 65B).

Coverage debt

SPF’s Basic Theory of Driving handbook says that a cyclist caught using a mobile communication device while riding a bicycle or power-assisted bicycle on the road can be fined $75. The handbook does not identify the legal provision, and it describes the conduct as riding on roads (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving handbook, para. 127). The current Active Mobility (Composition of Offences) Regulations list an offence under section 22A(2) as compoundable, but do not specify a composition amount. The $75 road-riding statement therefore does not establish the amount for the separate public-path offence; that amount remains unresolved in the official materials checked on 14 October 2026 (Singapore Statutes Online, Active Mobility Act 2017, section 22A; Singapore Statutes Online, current Active Mobility (Composition of Offences) Regulations 2018, regulation 2).

This article summarizes sections 65B and 22A and SPF’s published penalty table. It does not assess how either section applies to a particular incident or other possible traffic offences.