Singapore: Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS)

Introduction

Singapore's demerit points system named the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS) was introduced on 1 March 1983.

DIPS is designed to identify and rehabilitate errant drivers through a system of rewards and punishments. Errant motorists are thus encouraged to improve their driving behaviours on the roads with incentives to expunge their demerit points and previous suspension record as well as remission of suspension period.

Key Features Of DIPS

Suspension of driving licence

New or Probationary Motorists

For a new motorist who is under one year probation from the date of grant of his driving licence, his new driving licence will be revoked and become invalid when he accumulates 13 or more demerit points during his probationary period. The licence holder will have to retake all the necessary driving tests (theory and practical) to obtain a licence to drive/ride again.

Non-Probationary Motorists

For a motorist who has no previous suspension record with Traffic Police, if he has accumulated 24 or more demerit points within 24 consecutive months, his driving licence will become liable for the 1st suspension of 12 weeks.

For a motorist who has previous suspension records with Traffic Police, if he accumulated 12 or more demerit points within 12 consecutive months, his driving licence will become liable for the subsequent suspension.

For subsequent suspensions after 1st suspension, the suspension periods are :

1. 2nd suspension : 24 weeks;
2. 3rd suspension : 1 year;
3. 4th suspension : 2 years; and
4. 5th suspension (onwards) : 3 years.

Where the suspension period lasts a year or longer (i.e. 3rd suspension and onwards), the driving licence will be revoked and become invalid. The licence holder will have to retake all the necessary driving tests (theory and practical) to obtain a licence to drive/ride again.

Motorists liable for 1st and 2nd suspension will be offered a retraining course to correct their driving behaviours. If they take and pass the retraining course, their suspension period will be given a remission:

1. For 1st suspension, the suspension period will be reduced from 12 weeks to 4 weeks; and
2. For 2nd suspension, it will be reduced from 24 weeks to 12 weeks.

There is no offer of retraining course and remission for 3rd and subsequent suspensions.

During the suspension period, the photocard driving licences must be surrendered to Traffic Police. For 1st and 2nd suspensions, the photocard driving licences will be returned to the motorists upon the expiry of the suspension period. The following table summarises the suspension rules under DIPS for non-probationary motorists.

Level of suspensions	Criteria for suspension	Period of suspension	Maximum Remission allowed	Balance Period of Suspension after Retraining
1st suspension	24 points or more within 24 months	12 weeks	8 weeks (after passing retraining)	4 weeks
2nd suspension	12 points or more within 12 months	24 weeks	12 weeks (after passing retraining)	12 weeks
3rd suspension	12 points or more within 12 months	12 months	0	12 months (Licence revoked)
4th suspension	12 points or more within 12 months	24 months	0	24 months (Licence revoked)
5th suspension and above	12 points or more within 12 months	36 months	0	36 months (Licence revoked)

Notice of demerit points accumulated

When the demerit points awarded against a motorist under DIPS reach 50% of the maximum number at which the driving licence may be suspended or revoked, a letter of notice will be sent to him for his information.  The intent of the letter is to pre-warn the holder to improve his driving behaviour, or he may face the consequence of becoming liable for suspension.

Incentives for good driving behaviour

A licence holder who maintains a 12-month period free of scheduled offences from the date of last scheduled offence committed will have all his previous demerit points removed from his record.

A licence holder who maintains a 24-month period free of scheduled offences from the date of expiry of last suspension will also have all his previous suspension(s) removed from his record, i.e. he will be treated similar to a driver with no previous suspension record.

Motorists with a clean driving record for a continuous period of three years will enjoy a discount over and above the usual No-Claim Bonus when they renew their insurance policy with participating insurance companies. They must also not have made any claims on their vehicles' insurance for the past three years.

Electronics Driver Data Information & Enquiry System (EDDIES)The public can check on the driving licence status and demerit points accumulated for a person at the following URL address:
https://www.psi.gov.sg/NASApp/tmf/TMFServlet?app=SPF-PTD-EDDIES-II&reload=true

List Of Scheduled Offences Under DIPS

LIST OF SCHEDULED OFFENCES UNDER DIPS

S/No.	Offences committed	Demerit points
1	Carrying excess pillion or carrying pillion sitting not astride	3
2	Rider failing to wear or wear insecurely on his head a protective helmet	3
3	Disobeying traffic direction of police officer, employee of Authority or security officer engaged in regulating traffic	3
4	Conveying load not properly secured	3
5	Using tyres with ply or cord carcass exposed	3
6	Driver failing to wear seat belt	3
7	Parking abreast of another vehicle	3
8	Parking within a pedestrian crossing	3
9	Stopping in a zebra controlled area	3
10	Driver failing to ensure that every passenger wears a seat belt	3
11	Using a motor vehicle where a person below 1.35 metres in height is a passenger and is not properly secured by an approved child restraint or a body-restraining seat belt	3
12	Parking within a Demerit Points No Parking Zone	3
13	Stopping within a Demerit Points No Stopping Zone	3
14	Failing to fill up every passenger seat in driver’s cabin, or any additional cabin or enclosed space provided for the carriage of passengers or goods and which is adjacent to or is an extension of the cabin for the driver, before carrying any person on the floor of open deck goods vehicle	3
	Fine : Light Vehicle: $120 ;  Heavy Vehicle : $150
15	Exceeding speed limit for vehicle by 1 to 20 kilometres per hour	4
16	Exceeding speed limit on a road by 1 to 20 kilometres per hour	4
17	Failing to give way to oncoming traffic at controlled junction	4
18	Failing to give way at uncontrolled junction	4
19	Failing to give way at junction	4
20	Failing to give way at roundabout	4
21	Crossing double white lines	4
22	Crossing road divider	4
23	Obstructing flow of traffic	4
24	Forming up incorrectly when turning left or right	4
25	Failing to give way to ambulance, fire brigade or police vehicle	4
26	Driving while carrying load on a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner	4
27	Stopping on the shoulder or verge of an expressway	4
28	Stopping or remaining at rest on the carriage way of expressway	4
	Fine : Light Vehicle: $130 ;  Heavy Vehicle : $160
29	Exceeding speed limit for vehicle by 21 to 30 kilometre per hour	6
30	Exceeding speed limit on a road by 21 to 30 kilometres per hour	6
31	Driving on the shoulder of an expressway	6
32	Failing to securely tie or attach goods to a goods vehicle to prevent their falling off from the vehicle	6
33	Offences committed by motorists at pedestrian crossing	6
34	Driving or riding against the flow of traffic as indicated by traffic signs	6
35	Careless driving	6
36	Carrying passengers on a motor vehicle or trailer in a dangerous manner	6
37	Reversing unnecessarily along an expressway	6
38	Failing to obey 1.1 metre height restriction for persons carried on open deck goods vehicle	6
39	Carrying passengers when the clear floor space of the open deck of goods vehicle available for each passenger is insufficient	6
	Fine : Light Vehicle: $150 ;  Heavy Vehicle : $180
40	Exceeding speed limit for vehicle by 31 to 40 kilometres per hour	8
41	Exceeding speed limit on a road by 31 to 40 kilometres per hour	8
	Fine : Light Vehicle: $170 ;  Heavy Vehicle : $200
42	Driving without due care or reasonable consideration for other road users	9
43	Carrying passengers on a goods vehicle in a dangerous manner	9
	Fine : Light Vehicle: $170 ;  Heavy Vehicle : $200
44	Exceeding speed limit for vehicle by 41 to 50 kilometres per hour	12
45	Exceeding speed limit on a road by 41 to 50 kilometres per hour	12
	Offender will be prosecuted in court
46	Failing to conform to traffic light signals	12
	Fine : Light Vehicle: $200 ;  Heavy Vehicle : $230
47	Use of mobile telephone while driving	12
	1st offence: Fine not exceeding $1000 or jail up to 6 months or both 2nd and subsequent offence: Fine not exceeding $2000 or jail up to 12 months or both
48	Exceeding speed limit for vehicle by 51 to 60 kilometres per hour	18
49	Exceeding speed limit on a road by 51 to 60 kilometres per hour	18
	Offender will be prosecuted in court
50	Exceeding speed limit for vehicle by more than 60 kilometres per hour	24
51	Exceeding speed limit on a road by more than 60 kilometres per hour	24
52	Reckless or dangerous driving	24
	Offender will be prosecuted in court

DIPS Scenarios

Motorist with Clean Driving Record

Mr A has a clean driving record. His licence will be suspended if he accumulates 24 or more demerit points within 24 months.

For example, on 1/1/2000, he committed his first traffic offence carrying 8 demerit points

If he maintains a 12-month period free of offences carrying demerit points from the date of this offence committed on 1/1/2000, his 8 demerit points will be expunged and he will have a clean driving record again on 1/1/2001.

However, Mr A did not manage to maintain the 12-month period free of demerit points. On 8/3/2000, he commits another traffic offence carrying 6 demerit points.

On 15/8/2000, Mr A then committed another traffic offence carrying 12 demerit points. He has accumulated 26 demerit points within the 24 months. He will be liable for a 1st suspension of 12 weeks. If he attended and passed the retraining programme, his suspension MAY be reduced to 4 weeks.

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Motorist with Suspension Record

Mr A served his suspension that ended on 15/11/2000. His previous 26 points are expunged but his suspension record still stands

Because of his previous suspension record, Mr A will be liable for another suspension if he accumulates 12 or more demerit points within 12 months from the date his suspension was lifted on 15/11/2000. If he maintains a 24-month period free of demerit point starting from 15/11/2000, his suspension record itself will be expunged on 15/11/2002.

On 1/9/2001, Mr A committed an 8-demerit point traffic offence. The 12-month and 24-month qualifying period for demerit points and suspension records to be expunged respectively will then start from 1/9/2001. If he maintains a demerit point free record:

a) For 12 months, on 1/9/2002, his 8 demerit points would be expunged. However, his suspension record still remains with Traffic Police and he must not accumulate 12 or more demerit points within the next 12 months.

b) For 24 months, on 1/9/2003, his suspension record would be expunged. He would revert to having a clean driving record. This means that he can accumulate up to 23 demerit points within 24 months.

His licence is liable for suspension if he accumulates 24 or more demerit points within the next 24 months.

Additional Example 1

Mr B has a clean driving record. On 1/1/2001, he committed his first offence carrying 12 demerit points. On 15/4/2001, he committed another traffic offence carrying 18 demerit points. As he has accumulated 30 demerit points within a 24-month period, he is liable for 1st suspension.

Mr B decided to appeal against the offence committed on 15/4/2001. During the appeal process, he committed a traffic offence carrying 4 demerit points on 21/6/2001.

Mr B's appeal was subsequently rejected and he served a 1-month suspension, say from 13/7/2001 to 12/8/2001. His suspension was lifted on 13/8/2001. His previous 30 demerit points which were accumulated from 1/1/2001 to 15/4/2001 would be expunged. However, his 4 demerit points obtained for the offence on 21/6/2001 will remain under his records.

If Mr B maintained a demerit point free record:

a) For 13 months, on 21/7/2002, his 4 demerit points would be expunged. This is a 13-month period after the offence on the 21/6/2001 was committed, consisting of 12 months after the offence was committed excluding any time served under suspension (which is 1 month in this example).

b) For 24 months, on 13/8/2003, his suspension record would be expunged. This is a 24-month period after Mr B's suspension was lifted on 13/8/2001.

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Additional Example 2

Mr C has a clean driving record. On 1/1/2001, he committed his first traffic offence carrying 8 demerit points. On 1/4/2001, he committed another traffic offence carrying 6 demerit points.

If Mr C thereafter maintained a 12-month period free of offences carrying demerit points from the last offence date (1/4/2001), his 14 demerit points will be expunged and he will have a clean driving record again on 1/4/2002.