Heavier penalties for personal mobility device users caught riding on roads
Users of personal mobility devices (PMDs) caught riding on roads will face stiffer penalties come 15 January.
Under the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) new penalty regime, first-time offenders caught on local and major roads will face fines $300 and $500 respectively. This is $100 more than the fines imposed under the previous scheme, said the LTA in a news release on Tuesday (2 January).
PMD users caught riding on expressways will also be charged in court, where they face jail terms of up to three months, fines of up to $2,000, or both, if convicted of their first offence. Repeat offenders will face jail terms of up to six months, fines of up to $5,000, or both.
In such cases, the users will have their PMDs impounded during the course of investigations.
The new penalties come as part of the LTA’s efforts to discourage the errant use of PMDs. “It is an offence under the Road Traffic Act to ride PMDs on roads, including expressways. PMD users who do so, pose a significant danger to themselves and other road users,” said the LTA in its release.
The authority has also reached out to representatives from PMD interest groups to raise awareness of the dangers of using such devices on roads.
As PMDs have grown in popularity among food deliverymen, the LTA has also been working with food delivery companies to educate their delivery crews on safe-riding tips and rules.
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