06 February 2013
Oral reply to Parliamentary Question on Tailgating and road hogging
Question
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry will launch a public education campaign on good driving habits; (b) whether tailgating or road hogging is an offence; and (c) over the past three years, how many drivers were booked for tailgating or road hogging.
Oral reply by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs:
Educating the public on good driving habits is one of the key prongs in the Traffic Police’s road safety strategy. Outreach is done through many platforms, including road shows and talks, as well as the mass media. Traffic Police’s annual Road Courtesy Campaign has always underscored the importance of being considerate on the roads. Motorists who display acts of road courtesy are identified and commended for their efforts. At the same time, Traffic Police will continue to enforce the traffic rules against errant drivers.
2 “Tailgating” is the common term used to describe the situation where one vehicle is following too closely behind another. It is not a specific offence in itself under our road traffic laws. However, tailgating a vehicle, especially one travelling at high speed, may result in an accident. The driver may then be liable for careless or inconsiderate driving, depending on the circumstances of each case. In any case, although tailgating itself is not a specific offence, Traffic Police will enforce this in their routine patrols of the roads. However, we do not maintain a record of instances of tailgating detected in Singapore.
3 “Road hogging”, which refers to the obstruction of traffic moving at faster speeds, is a traffic offence under our road traffic rules and carries four demerit points, in addition to a monetary penalty. Motorists should drive as close to the left-hand side of the roadway as possible, so as not to obstruct other vehicles using the other lanes. Over the last three years, an average of 1,750 summonses were issued each year for road hogging.
4 On a broader level, Traffic Police are developing a comprehensive plan to improve road safety and address incorrect road behaviours holistically. The Ministry will provide more details of this plan at the upcoming Committee of Supply debate.