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GOH'S HOME PAGE Last updated: 22 Sep 2003 David's SoapBox This page is located on:
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Drink-Drive Laws Tightened Page created: 25 Dec 2001, Last updated 22 Sep 2003 Under earlier regulations, the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) at which point one is guilty of drink-driving was 0.080g/100ml. For those who don't already know, under the latest changes in 2001, Singapore now effectively has a zero-alcohol-tolerence for drink driving. Based on new definitions defined under Singapore law, the current limits has been revised to 0.000035g/ml which is as practically zero alcohol. If you are caught, trying
to demonstrate that you have a great capacity for alcohol
and are still in control of your vehicle will not work.
This is because the definition used is plainly
intended to preclude the individual accused from
introducing medical evidence as to his personal tolerance
for drink. Extract from
Ministry of Home Affairs website Ans. Under the Road Traffic Act, you can be convicted of drink-driving in two instances: If you are found with
As long as your breath or
blood alcohol exceeds the legal limit, you are deemed to
have broken the law even if you have perfect control of
your vehicle when you are caught. Elsewhere in the world... the commonly accepted BAC levels definitions used in most countries is:
To check BAC limits in USA and other countries: see http://www.lawyernet.com/members/jimfesq/DDD.html
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| Safety tip for motorcyclists:
Be very wary especially on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings... these are the most common evenings when people go out to have a good time - and often too much to drink! Of course, you should be alert at all times and ride defensively! And if *you* drink, don't ride - take a taxi for goodness sake!
(extract from The Straits Times) AUG 20 2000 Maid dies in drink-driving accident DRINK-DRIVING claimed its
second victim in less than a month... Thirty people were put through the breathalyser test, and seven of them failed. On conviction, a drink-driver may be fined up to $5,000, or jailed for up to six months. In the case of a second or subsequent conviction, the driver is liable to be fined up to $10,000, and imprisoned for a maximum of 12 months. The motorist may also be disqualified from driving for at least one year.
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| In event of
an accident: Stay calm. Get the other guy's license plate number first. Even if he runs away, he might not be able to escape the reach of the law. And once caught, you still might get justice when the courts have their way with him, and compensation could be obtained from the bastard's insurance.
The Straits Times Interactive MAY 4 2000 Driver sped off after hitting motorbike The victim noted down the licence plate of the car; police found the car and arrested the driver for drink-driving after a breathalyser test By DEBBIE GOH A MOTORIST who knocked a motorcyclist and his wife off their machine and sped off was arrested barely an hour later for drink-driving. He will be released on bail of $10,000 with one surety, a police spokesman said. Mr Edwin Lee, 43, a motorcycle repair-shop owner, was riding with his wife along Hougang Avenue 3 before the junction of Kim Chuan Road at 11.50 pm when it happened. The car hit his motorcycle from behind. Mr Lee and his wife, Madam Christobel Tan, 47, fell on the road. He was not hurt, but his wife was warded at Tan Tock Seng Hospital with head injuries. The driver of the car did not stop to help Mr Lee and his wife, but sped off in the direction of Ang Mo Kio, the police spokesman said. Mr Lee managed to note down the car's licence-plate number and reported it to the police. A team of investigators swung into action immediately. They went to the driver's home. Near his home, they found an unattended car with its front left portion damaged in a parking lot at Block 230, Serangoon Avenue 4. They then raided the driver's apartment and gave him a breathalyser test, the spokesman said. Results of the test showed that the amount of alcohol in the driver's breath was above the legal limit of 35 micrograms. The man was arrested for drink driving at 12.55 am early yesterday morning. When The Straits Times visited Madam Tan at the hospital yesterday, she was sleeping. She had bruises around her left eye. Mr Lee was neither at the hospital nor at his workshop and could not be contacted. One of his workers - identifying himself only as Jason - said Mr Lee and his wife, who live in Hougang, had closed their shop in Changi Road late on Tuesday evening and were on their way home when the accident occurred.
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The Straits Times Interactive 16 March 2003 Drink-driving accidents: Pain extends to your pocket By Leong Chan Teik EVEN if drink-driving does not cost you life or limb, it could bring you financial grief. That is what 181 motorists learnt too late after they drank and crashed in accidents during the first half of last year. They were among the 875 drivers arrested for drink-driving during that period. The police will announce figures for the whole of last year soon. By being under the influence of alcohol, the drivers in these accidents had breached a condition in their motor insurance policy. That means that the drivers are no longer covered. And while coverage still extends to third parties, after the insurer pays them, it will then pursue the policy-holders for the amount. Asked by The Sunday Times to cite a case, NTUC Income gave the example of a 38-year-old teacher whose car hit and injured a motorcyclist and killed his pillion rider. NTUC Income, which had provided the insurance cover for the teacher's car, said it would not pay for repairs to the vehicle. But as required under the law, it first paid out claims made by the motorcyclist and the family of the pillion rider - and subsequently recovered the money from the teacher, through monthly instalments. The amount totalled $68,683, and was for:
The teacher has also served a jail sentence of six weeks and has been banned from driving for 10 years. Mr Tan Kin Lian, chief executive officer of Income, noted that claims from third parties will be met, so these parties 'do not have to worry about the ability of the insured to pay for the losses'. In accidents where no one is injured, the third party can ask his insurer to pay for the repairs first and then proceed to claim directly from the drunk driver. For the culprits, their financial troubles extend for several years. After they have served out a driving suspension of at least a year - the minimum term for such an offence - they are liable to be hit by a sharp rise in premiums they pay for their cover. In any case, they may find it hard to find an insurer willing to take them on, especially if they are recalcitrant offenders.
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