Road traffic rules for government and visiting-force vehicles
How Part 4 of the Road Traffic Act applies to government and visiting-force vehicles, who may be treated as responsible for an offence, and the limited rule-making power for certain military vehicles.
Primary source: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/RTA1961?ProvIds=pr98-
General application and responsibility
Part 4 of the Road Traffic Act, which contains general road-traffic provisions, applies—subject to any stated exceptions—to vehicles, trailers and people in the service of the Singapore Government or a visiting force lawfully present in Singapore. Section 98 does not create a blanket exemption for these vehicles (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 98(1)).
In proceedings against someone other than the driver for an offence connected with such a vehicle or trailer, the person nominated by the department using it is treated as the person actually responsible unless the court is satisfied that only the driver was responsible (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 98(2)).
Special rule-making power for military-purpose vehicles
For vehicles owned by the Government or a visiting force and used for naval, military or air-force purposes, and certain vehicles driven by people then subject to orders of a member of Singapore's armed forces, the Land Transport Authority may make rules that vary specified requirements. The Act identifies speed-limit provisions, certain under-21 restrictions for driving specified heavy vehicle types, and rules governing how many trailers a motor vehicle may draw. Any variation is subject to conditions that may be specified in the rules (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 98(3)).
Separately, the Road Traffic (Regulation of Speed) Rules do not apply to a Government-owned vehicle used by the Singapore Police Force or Singapore Civil Defence Force to carry out that force's functions if complying with those Rules is likely to hinder the vehicle's use for that purpose. This is a specific, conditional exception in rule 4, distinct from section 98(3)'s rule-making power for specified military-purpose vehicles (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic (Regulation of Speed) Rules, r. 4).
Coverage debt
- The current speed rules provide the police and civil-defence exception described above. This article has not established whether any other current subsidiary rule makes a variation under section 98(3), or what conditions apply to a specific military-purpose vehicle.