Authorities impound 91 deregistered vehicles in islandwide operation

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) impounded 91 deregistered vehicles during a joint islandwide enforcement operation in September.

The vehicles were being used without valid COEs or road tax, the authorities said in a joint statement on Monday (Oct 5).

“The use of deregistered vehicles poses a serious road safety risk as they are neither roadworthy nor have valid insurance,” they added.

The maximum penalties for keeping or using unregistered or deregistered vehicles were raised in February. First-time offenders can be fined up to S$20,000, jailed for up to two years, or both, with the penalties doubled for repeat offenders.

When deregistering a vehicle, owners should ensure all administrative processes are completed, including transferring ownership before deregistration and ensuring that the buyer confirms the transaction on LTA’s OneMotoring website.

For vehicles handed to dealers for export, owners should obtain the relevant disposal documents for submission to LTA. If such vehicles are later found to have been misused, LTA will investigate the last registered owner.

Members of the public can report suspected cases of deregistered vehicles being kept or used through OneMotoring or the OneService app, LTA and SPF said.

TIGHTER CONTROLS PROPOSED

The Land Transport and Related Matters (No. 2) Bill, which proposes additional measures to ensure the timely and proper disposal of such vehicles, was introduced for first reading in Parliament on Sep 8.

The Bill would introduce an Authorised Exporter Scheme, requiring deregistered vehicles to be exported through LTA-authorised exporters.

It would also shorten the grace period for owners to fulfil disposal requirements from one month to 14 days, while ensuring offenders remain liable for prosecution for as long as they fail to meet those requirements.

The Bill would also criminalise the sale or supply of deregistered vehicles where a person knows, or is reckless as to whether, the vehicle will be kept or used on Singapore roads.

“The authorities take a firm stance against the keeping and use of deregistered vehicles and will continue to enforce against those who do so,” LTA and SPF said.