Driver fatigue and driving in Singapore

The Singapore Police Force’s road-safety guidance says: “Never get behind the wheel when you’re tired.” The page also advises motorists to stay alert and drive carefully (SPF, Road Safety Tips for Drivers).

The SPF Final Theory handbook says tiredness, giddiness and being unwell can affect concentration, and advises drivers not to drive if they feel unwell or tired. It also advises anyone taking prescribed medication to check with a doctor whether it affects driving ability, and not to drive if it does (SPF, Final Theory of Driving handbook, paras. 172 and 174).

In a 2026 parliamentary reply, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that fatigue is a known contributory factor in traffic accidents and that Traffic Police highlights it in road-safety education materials. MHA also said it had no plans to collect additional data or indicators to assess fatigue as a factor in traffic accidents (MHA, Plans to enhance data collection and analysis to assess role of fatigue and sleep deprivation in traffic accidents).

Guidance for vocational and lorry drivers

MOT says there is no regulatory limit on how many consecutive hours taxi and private-hire car drivers may work. The tripartite Workplace Safety and Health Council’s fatigue-management guidelines encourage drivers, including these drivers, to limit shifts to 12 hours. MOT also says taxi and private-hire car vocational training recommends short breaks after every two hours of driving; this is training guidance, not a general legal break interval. All taxi and ride-hail operators provide rest guidance and reminders to take breaks after long shifts; some have also deployed driver-assistance technology or anti-fatigue systems (MOT, Written Reply on Cap on Number of Hours Spent on the Road by Private Hire Car or Taxi Drivers).

For lorry drivers transporting workers on rear decks, MOM’s inter-agency advisory has required employers to provide, since 1 January 2023, a dual-role driver with at least a 30-minute rest period if the driver has worked at least six hours in the work shift immediately before driving workers. The advisory lists an existing Employment Act requirement that employers should not require these drivers to work more than 12 hours a day, including overtime, driving, and other work activities. Employers must also designate a vehicle buddy to sit beside the driver while workers are being transported and brief the buddy to take reasonable steps to check that the driver is fit before departure and stays alert while driving. The advisory encourages employers to deploy vehicular safety technologies, including Driver Status Monitoring Systems to detect fatigue and distraction; this is presented as a recommendation, distinct from the specified employer duties. It says drivers should have sufficient rest and should tell their supervisor or employer if they feel unfit to drive, including when drowsy from medication. These duties and recommendations apply to the specified lorry-worker transport setting; they do not establish a general rest interval or buddy requirement for other drivers (MOM, Inter-agency Advisory on Safe Transportation of Workers).

For workplace transport more generally, WSH Council guidance defines fatigue as tiredness that reduces mental or physical performance. Its workplace traffic-safety guideline says fatigue while driving can reduce alertness, reflexes, judgment and decision-making. It recommends employers provide facilities for breaks or rest, schedule short breaks to reduce fatigue from monotonous driving, educate drivers about fatigue risks and symptoms, and consider fatigue-management technology. These are workplace safety recommendations, not a general legal break schedule for all motorists (WSH Council, WSH Guidelines on Workplace Traffic Safety Management).

Coverage limit

The cited official guidance does not specify a general fatigue threshold or provide a general symptom checklist for motorists. WSH Council describes effects on alertness, reflexes, judgment and decision-making, but this is not a diagnostic standard. The two-hour break recommendation applies to taxi and private-hire car vocational training, and the 30-minute rest duty applies to the specified dual-role lorry-driver situation; neither establishes a universal schedule for all drivers.

Sources

• SPF, Road Safety Tips for Drivers
• SPF, Final Theory of Driving handbook
• MHA, Plans to enhance data collection and analysis to assess role of fatigue and sleep deprivation in traffic accidents
• MOT, Written Reply on Cap on Number of Hours Spent on the Road by Private Hire Car or Taxi Drivers
• MOM, Inter-agency Advisory on Safe Transportation of Workers
• WSH Council, WSH Guidelines on Workplace Traffic Safety Management