Singapore: Use of tablets while driving to be a crime under amended Road Traffic Act

[webfact]

Use of tablets while driving to be a crime under amended Road Traffic Act



SINGAPORE: -- From February next year, motorists caught driving while holding and using any sort of mobile device in Singapore will be flouting the law, according to The Straits Times.

“Using” will also go beyond just calling or text messaging – as provided for by existing law – but also surfing the Internet, visiting social media platforms, and any other function. The new rules under the broadened Road Traffic Act, which was passed in Parliament on Monday, will apply not just to mobile phones, but also to all mobile communication devices such as tablets.

Eight Members of Parliament spoke in support of the Bill, calling it a step in the right direction, but questioned if it went far enough. They asked why other potentially distracting devices, including handheld game consoles and smartwatches, were not included in the revised Act. They also questioned why the use of mobile devices when they are mounted on the dashboard or steering wheel, for instance, was not made an offence.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs MasagosZulkifli said: “We have deliberately decided to take a measured approach in tightening the rules on handphone driving. But we will continue to monitor the situation after the new changes come into effect and study the practices of other jurisdictions as they evolve to deal with other types of smart devices that are being developed.”

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/use-tablets-driving-crime-amended-road-traffic-act/


-- Thai PBS 2014-09-09

[retell]

So using your tablet , phone as a gps routeplanner is illigal there ?

While a garmin or such not

[Upnotover]

So using your tablet , phone as a gps routeplanner is illigal there ?

While a garmin or such not

I suspect if you were "holding and using" a Garmin whilst driving it would also qualify.

[Krataiboy]

Use of tablets while driving to be a crime under amended Road Traffic Act

I must be getting old.When I saw the headline I was thinking aspirins and paracetamol. . .

[Keesters]

In the picture both hands are on the mobile device and steering wheel is hands free. So I'm gonna assume the car is stationary. Is that driving?

[Jonmarleesco]

So presumably, some idiot playing with a tablet while at the wheel of a vehicle in Thailand is deemed in compliance with the no-mobile law. No wonder the law, as a whole, enjoys the reputation of being an ass.

[Jonmarleesco]

In the picture both hands are on the mobile device and steering wheel is hands free. So I'm gonna assume the car is stationary. Is that driving?

In Singapore, it probably would be stationary. In Thailand ...