Wearing of seat belts
Who must wear a seat belt under the Road Traffic Act and the 2011 Wearing of Seat Belts Rules, including the 1.35 m child-restraint rule and the statutory penalties.
Primary source: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/RTA1961-S688-2011
Section 75 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 lets the Minister make rules requiring any person driving or riding in a motor vehicle to wear a seat belt of a type approved by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, subject to prescribed exceptions (SSO, Road Traffic Act 1961 s 75(1)).
Those rules are the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Wearing of Seat Belts) Rules 2011, which came into operation on 1 January 2012 (SSO, Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Wearing of Seat Belts) Rules 2011 r 1).
This article records what those Rules currently state. It does not invent which vehicles “should” have belts beyond the application rule.
Which vehicles the Rules apply to
Unless otherwise expressly provided, the Rules apply to (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 3):
- every motor car (including a motor car used for instructional purposes) registered on or after 1 January 1973;
- every business service passenger vehicle registered on or after that date;
- every light goods vehicle registered on or after that date;
- every private hire car registered on or after that date;
- every goods-cum-passengers vehicle registered on or after that date;
- every taxi;
- every ambulance, medical transport vehicle, fire engine and hearse;
- every heavy goods vehicle; and
- every bus, including a small bus.
The wearing duty
Except as provided by rule 6, the driver and every passenger of a motor vehicle to which the Rules apply shall wear a body-restraining seat belt or a lap belt where such a seat belt or lap belt is available for use (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 4(1)).
A body-restraining seat belt shall be worn so as to provide restraint for both the upper and lower parts of the trunk of the wearer in the event of an accident (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 4(2)).
Subject to rule 6, the driver shall ensure that every passenger on that motor vehicle complies with rule 4 (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 5).
Who rule 4 does not apply to
Rule 4 does not apply to a person who is below 1.35 metres in height, or who is medically exempted under rule 7 from wearing a seat belt (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 6).
A medical exemption is applied for through a registered medical practitioner, with supporting medical reasons and evidence, to the Deputy Commissioner of Police. A person who is exempted shall carry the letter of exemption at all times when travelling on a motor vehicle to which the Rules apply and produce it when required by a police officer (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 7).
Passengers below 1.35 metres
Where a person below 1.35 metres in height is a passenger of a motor vehicle to which the Rules apply, no person shall use the motor vehicle unless that passenger is properly secured by (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 8(1)):
- an approved child restraint appropriate for a person of that height and weight; or
- a body-restraining seat belt in the manner set out in rule 4(2) when seated on a booster seat cushion or when using a seat with an adjustable seat belt approved by the Registrar.
Rule 8 does not apply in relation to (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 8(2)):
- any taxi, if the person below 1.35 metres is a rear seat passenger of the taxi; or
- any bus, other than a small bus that is used for the conveyance of any child to or from his school.
If a conductor or attendant employed by the owner or operator of a small bus is present and on duty on board, that person shall ensure that every passenger (unless exempted under rule 6) complies with rule 4 or is properly secured under rule 8 (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 9).
The official Basic Theory of Driving handbook states the same height threshold in learner language: all persons travelling in vehicles, irrespective of their age, should be appropriately belted up, and adults below the height of 1.35m shall use booster seats or approved adjustable seat belts (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving).
Penalties in the Rules
Any person who contravenes rule 4(1) or (2), 5, 8(1) or 9 is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months (SSO, Wearing of Seat Belts Rules 2011 r 10).
The DIPS Rules Schedule awards 3 demerit points for a driver failing to wear a seat belt, for a driver failing to ensure that every passenger wears a seat belt, and for using a motor vehicle where a person below 1.35 metres is not properly secured (SSO, Road Traffic (Driver Improvement Points System) Rules Schedule items (16), (35), (36)).
The official handbook states a composition fine of $120 and 3 demerit points for failing to belt up (SPF, Basic Theory of Driving). The same handbook’s scheduled-offence table lists $150 (light vehicle) / $200 (heavy vehicle) with 3 points for driver/passenger belt offences. This article records both handbook figures and does not pick a winner.
Coverage debt
- Sale and type-approval of seat belts (Road Traffic Act s 76 and the Seat Belts Rules R 15) are not summarised here.
- Taxi rear-seat child passengers are exempt from rule 8; that is not the same as saying a taxi rear passenger of 1.35 m or taller need not wear an available belt under rule 4.