Penalties for traffic offences — composition fines and court maxima
Traffic Police’s live composition and court-penalty tables, supplemented with current Road Traffic Act additions for serious and serious-repeat dangerous or careless driving cases.
Primary source: https://www.police.gov.sg/Knowledge-Hub/Traffic/Traffic-Matters/Penalties-for-Traffic-Offences
Under DIPS, demerit points may be meted out to valid Singapore driving-licence holders when they commit certain traffic offences, and they may also be offered composition fines. Anyone who commits a traffic offence is still liable to face the full punishments the offence carries, including prosecution, fines, imprisonment, and/or disqualification, depending on severity. The Courts can take past compounded traffic offences into account when deciding sentence (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences).
How past composition may affect a later sentence
Road Traffic Act section 139AA allows a court sentencing a person for an offence under that Act to consider, as an aggravating factor, an earlier Road Traffic Act offence that was compounded before sentencing (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 139AA). The Court of Appeal has held that the principle also applies when the later offence is under another law, and when the earlier compounded offence was under another law. Whether an earlier composition aggravates a later offence depends on its age and factual relevance. A compounded offence is not a conviction in law, and considering it at sentencing does not reopen the earlier offence (Teo Seng Tiong v Public Prosecutor [2021] SGCA 65, [103]–[108]).
Outstanding composition can be checked and paid on SPF e-Services (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences). Payment channels are recorded separately in payment-methods-for-traffic-offences.
On this page, light vehicle means vehicles classified as Class 2B/2A/2, 3C/3/3CA/3A (examples given: motor cars, motorcycles, light goods van). Heavy vehicle means Class 4/4A/4P/4AP, 5/5P (examples given: tractors, buses, trailers) (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences).
The SPF page was last updated on 23 July 2026; its live HTML tables were re-fetched on 2026-10-21. Offence-by-offence DIPS points in the subsidiary legislation are in dips-points-by-offence.
Composition table on the live SPF page
| Offences grouped on the page | Demerit points | Light | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stopping in a yellow box; insufficient warning signals; making an unauthorised U-turn; vehicles with a 60 km/h vehicular speed limit failing to keep left | (none stated in this row) | $100 | $150 |
| Carrying excess pillion or pillion is not sitting astride; rider failing to wear a helmet or wearing a helmet insecurely; disobeying traffic direction of a Police officer, employee of Authority, or security officer engaged in regulating traffic*; conveying load not properly secured; using tyres with ply or cord carcass exposed; driver failing to wear a seatbelt or failing to ensure every passenger wears a seatbelt; driver failing to ensure that a passenger below 1.35 m is properly secured by an approved child restraint or body-restraining seatbelt | 3 | $150 | $200 |
| Failing to give way to oncoming traffic at a controlled junction*; failing to give way at an uncontrolled junction, junction, or roundabout*; crossing double white lines or a road divider*; obstructing the flow of traffic; forming up incorrectly when turning left or right*; failing to give way to emergency vehicles; driving in a dangerous manner while carrying load | 4 | $150 | $200 |
| Exceeding the vehicular speed limit by up to 20 km/h*; exceeding the road speed limit by up to 20 km/h*; driving on the shoulder of expressways; failing to securely tie or attach goods to a goods vehicle to prevent them from falling off; offences committed by motorists at a pedestrian crossing*; driving or riding against the flow of traffic as indicated by traffic signs*; carrying passengers on a motor vehicle or trailer in a dangerous manner; reversing unnecessarily on expressways; careless driving endangering life* | 6 | $200 | $250 |
| Exceeding the vehicular speed limit by more than 20 and up to 30 km/h*; exceeding the road speed limit by more than 20 and up to 30 km/h* | 8 | $300 | $400 |
| Carrying passengers on a goods vehicle in a dangerous manner; careless driving causing hurt* | 9 | (blank on page) | (blank on page) |
| Exceeding the vehicular speed limit by more than 30 and up to 40 km/h*; exceeding the road speed limit by more than 30 and up to 40 km/h*; using mobile communication devices while driving*; failing to conform to traffic light signals* | 12 | $400 | $500 |
| Exceeding the vehicular speed limit by more than 40 and up to 50 km/h*; exceeding the road speed limit by more than 40 and up to 50 km/h* | 18 | Prosecution in court | Prosecution in court |
| Exceeding the vehicular speed limit by more than 50 km; exceeding the road speed limit by 51 to 60 km/h; reckless or dangerous driving | 24 | (blank on page) | (blank on page) |
(SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences)
Asterisked offences: motorists who commit specified offences at pedestrian crossings, or offences that endanger pedestrian safety at School Zones, Silver Zones, or Friendly Streets (called “Friendly Zones Streets” on the SPF page), incur 2 additional demerit points on top of the original points. Composition fines for those offences inside those zones/streets are raised by $100, subject to the total fine not exceeding $500 (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences). School-zone extra points in the DIPS Rules are also recorded in school-zone-extra-penalties.
Blank composition cells above are blank on the live page. This article does not fill them from the handbook or from memory.
Court penalties for irresponsible driving (as tabulated by SPF)
Motorists who commit or exhibit irresponsible driving behaviours that endanger the lives of road users will be prosecuted in Court. SPF publishes this table of penalties that may be imposed (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences):
Dangerous driving
| Offence | First-time penalty | Repeat penalty | First-time disqualification | Repeat disqualification | Drink-driving add-on (first time) | Drink-driving add-on (repeat) | Add-on disqualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Causing death | Max 8 years | 2 to 15 years imprisonment | ✓ | At least 10 years | + 1 to 2 years imprisonment | + 2 to 4 years imprisonment | 1st offence: at least additional 2 years; 2nd: at least additional 5 years; 3rd: disqualification for life |
| Causing grievous hurt | Max 5 years | 1 to 10 years imprisonment | ✓ | At least 8 years | + 6 months to 1 year imprisonment and fine $2,000–$10,000 | + 1 to 2 years imprisonment and fine $5,000–$20,000 | Same add-on disqualification block above |
| Causing hurt | Up to 2 years imprisonment and/or fine up to $10,000 | Up to 4 years and/or fine up to $20,000 | ✓ | ✓ | + up to 12 months imprisonment and fine $2,000–$10,000 | + up to 2 years imprisonment and fine $5,000–$20,000 | Same add-on disqualification block above |
| Dangerous driving | Up to 12 months imprisonment and/or fine up to $5,000 | Up to 2 years and/or fine up to $10,000 | ✓ | ✓ | Same add-on disqualification block above |
Careless driving
| Offence | First-time penalty | Repeat penalty | First-time disqualification | Repeat disqualification | Drink-driving add-on (first) | Drink-driving add-on (repeat) | Add-on disqualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Causing death | Up to 3 years and/or fine up to $10,000 | Up to 6 years and/or fine up to $20,000 | ✓ | At least 8 years | + up to 2 years imprisonment | + up to 4 years imprisonment | 1st offence: at least additional 2 years; 2nd: at least additional 5 years; 3rd: disqualification for life |
| Causing grievous hurt | Up to 2 years and/or fine up to $5,000 | Up to 4 years and/or fine up to $10,000 | ✓ | At least 5 years | + up to 1 year imprisonment and fine $2,000–$10,000 | + up to 2 years imprisonment and fine $5,000–$20,000 | Same add-on disqualification block above |
| Causing hurt | Up to 1 year and/or fine up to $2,500 | Up to 2 years and/or fine up to $5,000 | ✓ | ✓ | + up to 1 year imprisonment and fine $2,000–$10,000 | + up to 2 years imprisonment and fine $5,000–$20,000 | Same add-on disqualification block above |
| Careless driving | Up to 6 months and/or fine up to $1,500 | Up to 1 year and/or fine up to $3,000 | ✓ | ✓ | + up to 1 year imprisonment and fine $2,000–$10,000 | + up to 2 years imprisonment and fine $5,000–$20,000 | Same add-on disqualification block above |
Other criminal penalties listed by SPF
The same page separately lists first-time and repeat penalties for driving under the influence, driving under disqualification, driving under suspension, and driving without a valid licence. A check mark in its disqualification column means SPF marks disqualification as applicable but gives no duration in that cell (SPF, Penalties for Traffic Offences):
| Offence | First-time penalty | Repeat penalty | Disqualification as shown by SPF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driving under influence | Up to 1 year imprisonment and/or fine of $2,000–$10,000 | Up to 2 years imprisonment and fine of $5,000–$20,000 | 1st offence: at least 2 years; 2nd: at least 5 years; 3rd: disqualification for life |
| Driving under disqualification | Up to 3 years imprisonment and/or fine up to $10,000 | Up to 6 years imprisonment and/or fine up to $20,000, and vehicle forfeited | ✓ |
| Driving under suspension | Up to 2 years imprisonment and/or fine up to $5,000 | Up to 4 years imprisonment and/or fine up to $10,000 | ✓ |
| Driving without valid driving licence | Up to 3 years imprisonment and/or fine up to $10,000 | Up to 6 years imprisonment and/or fine up to $20,000, and vehicle forfeited | ✓ |
The HTML layout of the court tables is dense. A tick in a disqualification column means the page marks disqualification as applicable but does not state a duration in that cell. SPF's separate “Driving under influence” table gives the standalone penalties for that offence; the dangerous-driving row's blank drink-driving add-on fine cells remain blank as published. Statutory drink-driving disqualification is also in drink-driving-disqualification.
Additional statutory penalties for serious driving cases
The SPF tables are summaries. Under the current Road Traffic Act, a person convicted, in relation to the same driving, of an offence under section 64 or 65 and also of an offence under section 67 (driving while under the influence) or section 70(4) (failing without reasonable excuse to provide a required specimen) is a serious offender. A serious repeat offender also has at least one earlier conviction for a specified offence under section 67, 68 or 70(4), or under section 67 as it stood immediately before 1 November 2019. These statutory punishments are additional to the base or repeat-offender punishment (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 64 and 65).
| Outcome | Dangerous or reckless driving (s. 64), serious offender | Dangerous or reckless driving (s. 64), serious repeat offender | Careless driving (s. 65), serious offender | Careless driving (s. 65), serious repeat offender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No death, grievous hurt or hurt | Fine $2,000–$10,000 or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both | Fine $5,000–$20,000 and imprisonment up to 2 years | Fine $2,000–$10,000 or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both | Fine $5,000–$20,000 and imprisonment up to 2 years |
| Causing death | Additional imprisonment of 1 to 2 years | Additional imprisonment of 2 to 4 years | Additional imprisonment up to 2 years | Additional imprisonment up to 4 years |
| Causing grievous hurt | Additional fine $2,000–$10,000 and imprisonment of 6 months to 1 year | Additional fine $5,000–$20,000 and imprisonment of 1 to 2 years | Additional fine $2,000–$10,000 and imprisonment up to 12 months | Additional fine $5,000–$20,000 and imprisonment up to 2 years |
| Causing hurt | Additional fine $2,000–$10,000 or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both | Additional fine $5,000–$20,000 and imprisonment up to 2 years | Additional fine $2,000–$10,000 or imprisonment up to 12 months, or both | Additional fine $5,000–$20,000 and imprisonment up to 2 years |
The Act also sets minimum disqualification periods in these cases, subject to the court’s statutory power for special reasons to make no order or a shorter order. For both sections 64 and 65, the periods are: 2 years for a serious offender with no injury outcome; 5 years for a serious repeat offender in that category with one earlier specified offence; for causing death, 8 years for a repeat offender, 10 years for a serious offender, and 13 years for a serious repeat offender with one earlier specified offence; for causing grievous hurt, 5 years, 7 years, and 10 years, respectively; and for causing hurt, 2 years for a serious offender and 5 years for a serious repeat offender with one earlier specified offence. A serious repeat offender with 2 or more earlier specified-offence convictions is subject to disqualification for life, unless the court for special reasons orders a shorter period. The statutory disqualification period normally starts on the later of conviction or release from prison for that offence (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 64(9)–(10), 65(9)–(10) and 64(16)).
For the section 64 and 65 offences, “repeat offender” status is not limited to a previous conviction for the same offence. It can arise from certain earlier section 64, 65 or 116 offences, predecessor versions of those provisions, specified Penal Code offences involving a motor vehicle, or at least 2 qualifying speeding convictions in the previous 5 years where at least 2 involved exceeding the speed limit by more than 40 km/h (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, ss. 64(11) and 65(11)).
Vehicle forfeiture in specified cases
Section 65AA requires forfeiture, on the Public Prosecutor’s application and if a motor vehicle was used, when a person is convicted as a serious offender or serious repeat offender of dangerous or reckless driving causing death or grievous hurt (section 64(2) or (3)), or careless driving causing death or grievous hurt (section 65(2) or (3)). The exception is where the court is satisfied that the offender was not the vehicle’s owner and used it without the owner’s consent. For a section 64(2) causing-death conviction as an offender or repeat offender, the court must also order forfeiture on the Public Prosecutor’s application unless it is satisfied that the offender was not the owner and used the vehicle without consent, or has other good reasons to order otherwise (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 65AA).
Coverage debt
- Several composition and court cells did not contain amounts in the fetched HTML; they stay blank in the SPF tables here. The statutory additions above are presented separately, and do not fill blank cells in SPF’s published tables.
- The 9-point and 24-point rows do not show composition amounts on the live page.
- The 24-point row says “more than 50km” for exceeding a vehicular speed limit, without stating “/h”; the wording is retained as published.
- The SPF page does not map each blank drink-driving add-on cell to the separate statutory “serious offender” and “serious repeat offender” cases; those cases are summarized above from the current Act.