Man gets driving ban in first conviction for speeding violation captured by red-light camera
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: A 60-year-old man has become the first person to be convicted in court for a speeding violation captured by the speed enforcement function in a red-light camera.
The man was caught beating a red light along a West Coast Highway junction at about 12.40pm on Apr 9.
He was driving at 111kmh on a road where the speed limit is 70kmh, the police said in a media release on Wednesday (Jul 24).
For the offence of dangerous driving, the man was on Jul 3 handed a fine of S$2,000 (US$1,486) and disqualified from driving for 15 months.
"This is the first prosecution in court for a speeding violation captured by the speed enforcement function in a red-light camera," the police said.
The offence of dangerous driving carries a fine of up to S$5,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both. Offenders may also be disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles.
The speed enforcement function in red-light cameras was progressively activated at various locations from Apr 1 in a bid to clamp down on speeding violations.
Since then, more than 5,000 speeding violations have been captured by these red-light cameras.
In March, the police said speeding-related fatal accidents had increased by 83.3 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022.
The police also said that the proportion of fatal accidents due to speeding had also increased to 25.2 per cent in 2023 from 17.3 per cent in 2022.
As of December last year, 252 red-light cameras had been deployed across Singapore.
Speed cameras and red-light cameras operate using laser technology, radar technology or detector loops embedded in the road.
Cameras that use laser technology emit laser beams at a vehicle and measure the time it takes for the beam to bounce back to calculate the vehicle's speed.
Those using radar technology operate the same way, using radio waves instead of laser beams.
Red-light cameras typically use detector loops, which create an electromagnetic field when the traffic light turns red.
When a vehicle passes over the loop, it disrupts the field and triggers the camera to capture images of the vehicle.
The police said in March while traffic enforcement cameras are effective in deterring speeding violations, motorists will still choose to speed at locations where they think no one is watching.
"The police take a serious view of motorists who engage in egregious driving behaviour, including speeding and running the red light," said the Singapore Police Force on Wednesday, adding that it will not hesitate to take action against those who break traffic laws and endanger the safety of others.
