Driving in Singapore
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Several steps have to be completed before a citizen can ultimately drive in Singapore. In addition to the typical driving license, a Certificate of Entitlement (CoE) is required, costing several thousand Singapore dollars. This permits the vehicle to be driven for a period of 10 years after which, the vehicle must be scrapped. Certain roads in Singapore also undergo toll charging, under Singapore's Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system. These two measures have been implemented by the Singaporean government in order to counteract the issue of congestion within the state, increasing the appeal of public transport such as the MRT.
In Singapore, traffic drives on the left and is the same in neighbouring Malaysia which also drives to the left. Both the neighbouring countries were under British colonial rule and drive on the left as is done in the United Kingdom and its former British colonies. These countries usually drive on the left with notable exceptions being Canada and several colonies in Africa. Therefore, there is no crossover at the border as is the case between Hong Kong and mainland China, Thailand and Laos, and between a few other countries.
The per capita car ownership rate in Singapore is 12 cars per 100 people. This compares with the per capita rate of 46 cars per 100 people in Australia.[1] In 2005, Singapore had the 24th highest per capita gross domestic product. For the same year, Australia was 20th in the world.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Driving license
[edit] Obtaining a driving license
[edit] Class 3/3A
A class 3 or class 3A license permits the holder to drive motorcars weighing less than 3000kg when unladen and may not carry more than 7 passengers, excluding the driver. In addition, the holder may drive a motor tractor or other motor vehicles with an unladen weight of less than 2500kg. A class 3A license limits the holder to drive motor vehicles without a clutch pedal, typically automatic transmission cars, whereas a class 3 license allows the holder to drive all motor vehicles. Drivers holding a class 3A license will not be qualified to drive manual transmission cars. [3]
Drivers must be 18 years old in order to qualify for a license including applying for theory lessons. Once a driver passes the Basic Driving Theory Test, he or she must apply for a Provisional Driving License (PDL), which lasts for six months, before taking practical driving lesson. However, a student can choose to apply and pass the Final Theory test before he/she applies for PDL and starts driving lesson. The last stage of obtaining a driving license is the practical driving test which student must have a passed FTT result slip and a PDL.
The Basic Driving Theory Test (BTT) and Final Driving Theory Test (FTT) each contains 50 questions and last for 50 minutes, in order to pass the tests, one has to get at least 45 out of the 50 questions to be correct. The result will be shown immediately after the test on the same touchscreen monitor. There are a few websites offering online question banks which students can use them for practice like ACE Online., SingaporeTests.com. and sgdriving.net.. Also, there are textbooks available for the two tests above for those preferring to study by books.
[edit] Driving with a Foreign licence in Singapore
Visitors (without student pass, work permit, employment pass or Singapore Permanent Resident, or other social passes) who have been in Singapore less than six months may drive with their foreign issued license. Conversion to a Singapore license is possible - ONLY IF the foreign license holder obtained the above privileges ONLY AFTER the person obtained the foreign license - by passing only the Basic Driving Theory test if the foreign issued license is not expired. No practical test is required.
[edit] Renewal of License
No renewing is required since the starting of the photocard license. The driving license will last the driver for lifetime.
[edit] Riding motorcycles registered on a different holder
In Singapore, it is illegal to ride a motorcycle if the rider's name is not entered in the insurance contract. For each motorcycle, only one co-rider can be entered. As the procedure to change the co-rider is rather easy, but fines for riding without insurance are high, it is urgently advised to follow these procedures before riding even a single meter.
[edit] Driver Improvement Points System
The Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS) is a system whereby demerit points will be added to the driver's record. The system is meant to deter drivers from infriging the rules-of-the-road and if they do, suspend their driving license for a period of time. This system requires offenders to re-sit and pass the driving test again from the beginning.
If a driver accumulates 24 demerit points within a period of two years, he/she will be suspended from driving for three months. If he/she had been suspended before, he/she will only be allowed to accumulate less than 12 demerit points a 12 months period. Initially, this system was only used for Singapore driving license holders until November 1 1999, the traffic police extended the system to foreign driving license holders which states that any foreigner who accumulates 24 demerit points in two years, will be prohibited from driving in Singapore for three months (first time prohibition) and up to a maximum of three years for subsequent offender.
Currently, drivers are now given demerit points if they commit certain traffic offences such as speeding and passengers not fastening their seat belts.[4]
[edit] Roads in Singapore
[edit] ERP
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore implemented an Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme to deter traffic congestion during peak hours at various roads, regardless if the road leads to the Central Business District (CBD).
The ERP scheme includes an electronic gantries over the road at designated locations and cars are require to be equipped with an In-Vehicle Unit (IU), a rectangular device pasted on the inside bottom right of the front windshield from the driver's view, which will deduct the toll price from a Cash Card which has to be inserted into the IU. It is a violation to drive through operating gantries without a top-up'ed Cash Card in it.
There is no charge for entering the area during certain non-peak times.
[edit] Parking
The In-Vehicle Unit can also be used to charge from, the cost of parking in many upgraded car parks thus eliminating the need for the car park to have an attendant. Although the cost of parking (which is published [5] is variable, parking costs tend to be much less expensive compared to London and New York. For example, the Centrepoint shopping centre charges S$1 (approximately US$0.70) for the first hour. For comparison, garages in New York near 5th Avenue and 57th Street charge between US$12 and US$26 for one hour of parking (though one garage charges as high as $47). [6]
More modern car parks in Singapore are advanced, containing car parking space sensors which detect whether the position is filled or not. This information is processed and displayed in signs around the car park, directing drivers areas where there are free spaces.
[edit] Road Signs in Singapore
Road signs in Singapore are similar to their counterparts in the United Kingdom, which slight deviations. For example, large signs over expressways in the United Kingdom are light blue. In Singapore, they are enclosed in a light blue box in an overall green background. The type font used is the Bureau Grotesque One Seven typeface.
Most roads are marked with signposts with the road's name. The expressways in Singapore are not numbered (unlike the M1 in the United Kingdom or I-95 in the United States). The expressways are named and are often sign posted by their contractions, such as the PIE or AYE, abbreviations for Pan Island Expressway or Ayer Rajah Expressway, respectively.
The maximum permitted speed along certain sections of expressway is 80 - 90 km/h.
The language used in road signs is in English.
[edit] Left turn at a red traffic light
As is the case with most countries worldwide, it not permitted to turn left in Singapore when the traffic light for one's lane is red. There are a few countries that allow a right turn at red traffic light including the United States (except the city of New York), Canada, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Myanmar, and a few other countries.
[edit] Traffic safety
[edit] Driving safety
Driving while using a hand held mobile phone is prohibited. Drinking and driving is also not permitted. The level of intoxication is considered 80 mg% (0.08%) of alcohol, although it is illegal to drive if impaired, even if the level of alcohol is under the limit.
In 2007, Singaporean TV actor Christopher Lee was sentenced to 30 days in prison, later increased to 6 weeks, S$4,500 in fines, and disqualified from driving for three years after he caused injury to a motorcyclist during a hit and run injury. Reportedly, mitigating factors included that he paid over S$70,000 in compensation to the injured. He eventually served nearly a month in prison. (May 28-June 25, 2007) [7] [8]
[edit] Car safety crash tests
The Singapore government accepts the crash safety standards of the EU and Japan. Cars made in the EU and Japan which pass local standards do not need to pass additional safety standards to be sold in Singapore. Cars may be privately imported into Singapore if they have an EU Certificate of Conformity or the Japanese Completion Inspection Certificate, both of which incorporate emissions and safety standards. [9] Not all cars sold in Singapore have been tested by the EuroNCAP, which is a car safety testing organization jointly operated by several European government agencies [10], that crash tests cars that can be legally sold in several European countries. [11]
[edit] Buying a car in Singapore
Some of the regulations concerning driving a car are administered by the Land Transport Authority.
[edit] COE
New car buyers are required to buy a Certificate of Entitlement. The term "bidding" is often used but, in practice, new car dealers assist in the process. Essentially, the COE is an added fee on the costs of a new car based on engine size. The COE is lower for cars with 1.6 litre (1600 cc) engines and smaller. COE's for car cost approximately S$14,000 to S$16,000 but the exact amount changes several times a year. The COE is valid for 10 years. There are provisions for a rebate of the COE if the car is scrapped before 10 years.
The COE costs has declined in recent years. The April 2001 COE (Category B: 1601 cc engine and larger) was S$34,930 [12] The April 2007 COE for Category B was $15,989.
[edit] PARF
PARF is a commonly used abbreviation for the Preferential Additional Registration Fee. A car owner may apply for a portion of this fee if a car is de-registered [13]before 10 years. The term "Additional Registration Fee (ARF)" is calculated from 110% of Open Market Value (OMV). If a car is less than 5 years old, then the PARF is 75% of the ARF. [14]
[edit] OMV
OMV stands for "open market value". It is determined by Singapore customs and is equivalent to the price of the car, including freight and other incidental charges.
[edit] Licence plates
Vehicle licence plates in Singapore are the same 21 inch size found in many European countries. Red license plates indicate that the car may be driven only during off peak times unless a daily fee is paid. Off peak times are from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays, Saturdays after 3 p.m., and all day Sunday. [15] Off peak license plates costs less than the regular license plates. Standard licence plates in Singapore are usually black with silver or white lettering or the newer white front/yellow rear plate combination.
[edit] Singapore as a car exporting nation
The result of the peculiarities of the Singapore car market has resulted in Singapore being the second largest exporter of used cars in the world after Japan. Approximately 100,000 cars are exported yearly. Cars are exported to many countries, including Libya and Trinidad. Used cars are often exported to other countries that have right hand drive arrangements, but there are exports to left hand drive countries. [16] New Zealand allows importation of used cars previously registered in Singapore without need for any modifications. [17]
Part of the reason for the high number of used car exports from Singapore is the reduction in the costs of the COE and PARF between 2000 and 2005. Previously, the COE and PARF might have represented 80% of the price of a medium priced car, such as a Honda Accord. With the COE and PARF less expensive that in the past, in some cases the yearly drop in the COE and PARF rebate begins to become significant compared to the pre-tax (OMV) price of a new car. Furthermore, with the PARF rebate starting to diminish after a car is five years old, the net amount of credit (similar to resale value or trade in value) compared to the OMV begins to become less favorable for the owner of an older car. In contrast, in countries with low taxes, such as a low VAT or low sales tax, the most economical ownership strategy is to keep a car as long as possible until the repair costs exceed the cost of depreciation of a new car or financing costs. [18]
[edit] Car market in Singapore
Car brands are typically sold by only one dealer although there are rare exceptions where two dealers sell the same brand. Several dealers have more than one location. Some dealers sell more than one brand, unlike the situation in some western European countries in the past where some manufacturers prohibited dealers from selling competing brands. Negotiation during car purchases is customary but limited due to the lack of competing dealers.
The limited size of the Singapore market results in some brands not offering the full model line in Singapore. Unlike in Australia, where the U.S. Honda Accord and the Japanese Honda Accord (re-badged as the Acura TSX in the United States) are sold, only the Japanese Honda Accord is sold in Singapore. Some brands, such as Saab and Volvo (except the Volvo S60R) are only offered with automatic transmission even though manual transmission cars are sold in the car's home market.
Some car dealerships are transnational. For example, Eurokars Group sells Rolls Royce, Porsche, Saab, and Mini in Singapore. The same company also sells Rolls Royce, Saab, and Porsche in Indonesia and BMW in Western Jakarta (Indonesia). [19]
Although car prices are high, servicing costs are reasonable compared to in the United States and Western Europe from the standpoint of labour charges.
SUV (sport utility vehicles) are not as common in Singapore as in the United States and Canada.
Japanese car manufacturers have the largest market share. Some Japanese cars are imported from countries other than Japan. For example, the Toyota Camry is imported from Thailand.
Initially the ninth generation Toyota Corolla sold in Singapore was a Japanese model, while the facelift version is a wider and longer Corolla Altis from Thailand.
European car manufacturers are well represented. On the more expensive segment of the market, European cars sold in Singapore include Aston Martin, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Maserati, and others. Skoda, Fiat, Renault, and Citroen are among the less expensive European cars sold in Singapore.
American cars have a low market share. Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles are sold in Singapore, such as the Chrysler 300C, Chrysler PT Cruiser, and Dodge Caliber. Chevrolet markets only Korean made Daewoo cars, not its American made models. Ford markets some cars from its European line, not its American product line.
Non-Japanese Asian car brands sold in Singapore include Perodua, Proton, Ssangyong, Hafei Motor, Chery, Geely, Kia, and Hyundai.
Used cars that are more than three years cannot be imported into Singapore. [20]
In 2005, there was significant local press coverage of the death of a car saleslady when a customer was involved in a collision during a test drive, reportedly after aggressive driving.[21] The driver's license was suspended in April, 2007 for this incident although the court case was still pending at the time of license suspension. [22]
[edit] Seating etiquette in cars
In Singapore, an honoured guest sometimes sits in the front seat opposite the driver. Seating etiquette is informal and not everyone follows the same guidelines. In most cases, it is customary of single passengers to sit beside the driver, as not for the driver to appear as the "chauffeur". In contrast, in South Korea, seating etiquette is more common with the honoured guest offered a seat in the back on the opposite side as the driver. In Singapore, only right hand drive cars are allowed. There are exceptions for special purpose vehicles, diplomatic vehicles and foreign registered vehicles driven by visitors.
[edit] Fuel situation in Singapore
[edit] Major companies in the retail petrol market
Unlike in some countries where there is a significant sector of independent branded petrol dealers, petrol dealers in Singapore are sell petrol under the brand name of multinational companies. Royal Dutch Shell, marketing petrol under the "Shell" brand, has the largest retail network of stations. [23] ExxonMobil has 23 Mobil stations and 19 Esso stations. [24] Caltex, formerly a joint venture between Chevron and Texaco, but now a subsidiary of Chevron, which acquired Texaco has stations in Singapore. Singapore Petroleum Company, marketing petrol under the "SPC" brand also has significant numbers of petrol stations in Singapore.
Four grades of petrol is commonly sold in Singapore. Diesel and unleaded petrol with octane levels of 92, 95 and 98 is widely sold. Octane levels conform with European octane ratings and roughly correspond to American octane levels of 87, 90, and 93, respectively. Shell also markets a fifth brand of fuel under the V-Power label, in addition to 98 octane petrol. 98 octane V-Power is marketed as having an FMT additive and "formulated to improve performance and responsiveness" [25] and sells for approximately 15 cents per litre more than Shell's other 98 octane fuel [26]
Petrol stations frequently have loyalty schemes, such as Shell's Escape points.
The price of petrol is usually standardised such that the cost of a particular brand of fuel is the same regardless of which station sells it. Petrol is not rationed in Singapore.
Petrol is cheaper in Malaysia than in Singapore. However, regulations require that Singapore registered cars leaving Singapore have at least 3/4 of a tank of fuel.
[edit] Singapore as a net exporter of refined petrol
As a result of the high petrol refining capacity in Singapore, Singapore is a net exporter of refined petroleum. ExxonMobil's refineries in Jurong Island and Singapore has a 605,000 barrel capacity. [27] Shell's 500,000 barrels-per-day Bukom refinery exports 90% of its products to other countries. [28] The Singapore Refining Company has a 285,000 barrel capacity refinery which is a 50/50 venture between Shell and SPC [29], though part of the Shell stake was previously owned by British Petroleum. [30] The United States, in contrast, has a shortage of oil refining capacity [31] [32] resulting in about 10% [33] of petrol being imported as a refined product, as opposed to crude oil, some of it being imported from the Netherlands [34], a country that does not have significant oil drilling.
[edit] Effects of the price of petrol in Singapore on the Australian market
The wholesale price of Mogas 95 unleaded petrol is the regional benchmark, including the benchmark price for Australia. This is a result of Singapore having a large refining capacity. [35] Approximately 15% of refined petrol in Australia is from Singapore. The retail price of Australian petrol has been attributed to the Singaporean price as being one of four influencing factors. [36] [37]
[edit] Foreign assessment of Singapore motoring
The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) submitted a report to the World Bank citing the objective of government regulation of motoring as congestion reduction with positive side effects of revenue collection and pollution control. It stated that the ERP system was fair, convenient, reliable, effective, at that goals were reached. [38]
An expatriate advice website states that "driving in Singapore and owning a car is very expensive." [39]
Wired, a website about technology, notes that "Singapore ... is a living laboratory for intelligent transport systems, a catch-all phrase for high tech strategies to gather data, manage flow, and inform drivers of congestion ahead. Traffic does indeed move noticeably smoother here than in American metropolitan areas of comparable size - Atlanta, for instance." [40]
[edit] References
- ^ Electronic road pricing in Singapore. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ FROM WORLD BANK DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS 2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ Driving In Singapore - Singapore Police Force. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ About DIPS - Singapore Police Force. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ ONE.MOTORING - Downtown Rates
- ^ Compare Parking Rates Daily/Monthly Garages Lots NYC Boston New York
- ^ Channelnewsasia.com
- ^ Channelnewsasia.com
- ^ Importing a Foreign Vehicle to Singapore - AngloINFO Singapore
- ^ Euro NCAP - For safer cars |Members
- ^ Euro NCAP - For safer cars |Test results
- ^ Getforme Singapore CERTIFICATE OF ENTITLEMENT - COE PRICES
- ^ Registering a Motor Vehicle in Singapore - AngloINFO Singapore
- ^ One.Motoring - Parf/Coe Rebates
- ^ Motoring Matters - Vehicle Ownership
- ^ Channelnewsasia.com
- ^ Infosheet 2.09 - Required documentation: entry-certification of used vehicles
- ^ Should You Keep Your Old Car? - Kiplinger.com
- ^ Car BuyerGuide (newspaper), 7 October 2006, p.5
- ^ Importing a Foreign Vehicle to Singapore - AngloINFO Singapore
- ^ http://sg.news.yahoo.com/070424/5/singapore272087.html
- ^ http://motoring.asiaone.com.sg/motorworld/20070426_001.html
- ^ Shell in Singapore - Shell in Singapore
- ^ http://www.exxonmobil.com/AP-English/Files/Station_listing_web_26Sep05.pdf
- ^ Shell in Singapore
- ^ http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=sg-en&FC2=/sg-en/html/iwgen/shell_for_motorists/fuels/discounts/zzz_lhn.html&FC3=/sg-en/html/iwgen/shell_for_motorists/fuels/discounts/price_board_0720.html Retrieved 2007-04-26. Reference notes price of 16 April 2007
- ^ Singapore Refinery
- ^ Shell in Singapore - Shell in Singapore
- ^ http://www.chevron.com/operations/docs/singapore.pdf
- ^ http://www.chevron.com/news/press/2004/2004-07-01.asp
- ^ NPR: U.S. Shortage of Oil Refining Capacity Called Critical
- ^ U.S. refiners stretch to meet demand - Oil & energy - MSNBC.com
- ^ United States Senator Richard Shelby : Press Room
- ^ WorldCity, Annual Report: No. 12 Netherlands - Exchange favors the U.S. |Connecting Local Business Leaders To The Global Economy
- ^ Microsoft Word - 4330DA85-095C-081180.doc
- ^ untitled
- ^ Caltex - Pricing - Plain Facts
- ^ indesign.indd
- ^ Driving a car or motorcycle in Singapore
- ^ Wired 9.11: The Ultimate Jam Session
[edit] External links
- Land Transport Authority
- ACE ONLINE:: Basic / Final Theory Tests Online
- SingaporeTests.com - Singapore Driving Theory Test (Basic Theory, Final Theory, Riding Theory, PPCDL)
- sgdriving.net - Singapore Driving Basic/Final/Ridding Theory Test (BTT, FTT, RTT...) Questions
- Schematic drawing of ERP system which uses pair of gantries and 5 step detection sequence [1]
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