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.
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.
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 :
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:
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.
| Criteria for suspension | 24 points or more within 24 months |
|---|---|
| Period of suspension | 12 weeks |
| Maximum Remission allowed | 8 weeks (after passing retraining) |
| Balance Period of Suspension after Retraining | 4 weeks OR 1 week (If none of the traffic offences leading to the 1st suspension was involved in traffic accident) |
| Criteria for suspension | 12 points or more within 12 months |
|---|---|
| Period of suspension | 24 weeks |
| Maximum Remission allowed | 12 weeks (after passing retraining) |
| Balance Period of Suspension after Retraining | 12 weeks |
| Criteria for suspension | 12 points or more within 12 months |
|---|---|
| Period of suspension | 12 months |
| Maximum Remission allowed | 0 |
| Balance Period of Suspension after Retraining | 12 months (Licence revoked) |
| Criteria for suspension | 12 points or more within 12 months |
|---|---|
| Period of suspension | 24 months |
| Maximum Remission allowed | 0 |
| Balance Period of Suspension after Retraining | 24 months (Licence revoked) |
| Criteria for suspension | 12 points or more within 12 months |
|---|---|
| Period of suspension | 36 months |
| Maximum Remission allowed | 0 |
| Balance Period of Suspension after Retraining | 36 months (Licence revoked) |
Motorist will be notified and updated of their demerit point status after settling every offence where demerit points are awarded. The intent of the letter is to pre-warn the licence holder to improve his driving behaviour, and encourage them to remain offence-free for 12 months for their demerit points to be expunged, which otherwise they 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.
| S/N | 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 (or more commonly known as zebra crossing) 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 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 46 | Failing to conform to traffic light signals | 12 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 47 | Use of mobile telephone while driving | 12 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| S/N | Offences committed | Demerit points |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |