Penalties for Dangerous Driving for Singapore Drivers

Perhaps you’re a fan of the Fast & Furious film franchise and want to try out those cool car stunts for yourself.

Or maybe you think you have the hots to be Singapore’s Best Car Drifter just because you own a sweet car.

Or maybe you’re just in a rush and are cutting in and out of the lanes so you can get home faster.

All these actions could get you charged for dangerous driving in Singapore. Do you know what the penalties are for drivers convicted of this offence?

What is the Offence of Dangerous Driving?

If a driver drives recklessly or at a speed or manner dangerous to the public, he will be guilty of an offence under section 64(1) of the Road Traffic Act (RTA). Examples of dangerous driving include:

• Driving against the flow of traffic
• Weaving in and out of traffic
• Disobeying traffic signals

Police officers are empowered to arrest dangerous drivers without a warrant.

What are the Maximum Penalties for Dangerous Driving?

For drivers convicted of driving dangerously under section 64(1) of the RTA, the maximum penalties for the offence depend on the extent of harm caused by the driver to any victims.

For disqualification for driving, the court can order shorter disqualification periods (or choose not to disqualify the driver at all) if there are special reasons to do so.

Note: As of 12 June 2025, the mandatory minimum jail term and disqualification period for first-time offenders of dangerous driving offences causing death or grievous hurt have been removed. The rationale is to give the courts greater discretion to impose an appropriate sentence depending on the circumstances of the offence, such as where other road users involved had also exhibited irresponsible or risk-taking behaviour.

For example, previously, the penalties for first-time non-serious offenders of dangerous driving causing death were a minimum of 2 years’ jail and up to 8 years’ jail in addition to disqualification from driving for at least 10 years. Now, the penalties are up to 8 years’ jail with discretionary disqualification.

Other Penalties for Dangerous Driving

Where the offence involves illegal car racing

It is an offence to promote or take part in illegal car racing. First-time offenders will be jailed for up to 1 year and fined up to $5,000. Repeat offenders will be jailed for up to 2 years and fined up to $10,000.

The court may also decide whether to forfeit the car used if it belongs to someone else and was used without the owner’s consent. 

What Sentence May Drivers Convicted of Dangerous Driving Get?

When deciding the appropriate sentence for a driver convicted of dangerous driving, the court will take into account:

• The harm that has resulted from the offence (see the table above)
• The driver’s culpability for the offence

Culpability of the driver

3 factors which generally affect the culpability of a driver for dangerous driving are:

1. Manner of driving: How the driver was driving and the extent of danger posed to road users as a result of this. Culpability would increase where there are aggravating factors such as speeding, drink-driving, sleepy driving, driving while using a mobile phone, disobeying traffic rules, driving against the flow of traffic or off the road, being involved in a car chase, or having poor control of the vehicle.
2. Circumstances of driving: Circumstances surrounding the incident which may have increased the danger for road users. Aggravating circumstances would include dangerous driving during rush hour when there is heavy traffic, driving within a residential or school zone, driving a heavy vehicle which is more difficult to control and requires a quicker reaction time, or where the driver intended to travel a long distance to reach his destination.
3. Reasons for driving: The driver’s reasons or motivations for driving dangerously. Where the dangerous driving was deliberate, there would be higher culpability as compared a driver who drove dangerously in an emergency situation.

The court has stated that where the harm caused and the driver’s culpability are both low, a fine would usually be sufficient. However, the court will usually impose a jail term where the harm caused and the driver’s culpability are both high.

—

The penalties for dangerous driving offences are imposed with the purpose of deterring the commission of future offences by both repeat and new offenders. Quite apart from the possible harm to people (including yourself) or damage to your car, driving dangerously is definitely not worth being fined or going to jail for.

Keep these penalties in mind when you next think about swerving in and out of traffic to get to your destination faster, or getting into a car race, or beating that red light.