Register Your E-Scooters Or Face Jail Terms In 2019
Come 2 Jan, you may see fewer e-scooters plying our pedestrian sidewalks at reckless speeds.
Thanks to Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) new regulations, errant e-scooter riders could face dire consequences, if they don’t comply with the newer, stricter rules.
16 years & above to own one
From 2 Jan to 31 Mar, riders will be able to register their PMDs with the $20 registration fee waived. Riders have until 30 Jun to register their devices.
You’ll have to be 16 years old and above, and you must register your scooter online via LTA’s page. All registered e-scooters have to comply with specific criteria as stated in the Active Mobility Act.
- Max. weight cannot exceed 20kg
- Width cannot exceed 70cm
- Max speed not more than 25km/h
You can also head down to your nearest Singapore Post office to do so in person.
False declarations could make you liable to a $5,000 fine and/or 1 year jail term.
E-Scooter IDs
Unique numbers will be issued to e-scooter owners, and they’ll be required to create an “Identification Mark” featuring the ID.
A LTA Registration Mark will also be issued to the riders. If registration is conducted online, the mark will be delivered via registered mail. You can receive it on-the-spot at SingPost offices as well.
E-scooter riders will then have to display both the Identification Mark and LTA Registration Mark prominently on the e-scooter.
Fines & possible jail terms
Users who do not display the new marks on their rides, could be fined up to $1,000, and face 3 months in jail, or both from 30 Jun to 1 Jul.
Once 1 Jul rolls around, it will officially be illegal to ride unregistered e-scooters. Offenders face an increased $2,000 fine and/or 3 months’ jail.
Come 2021, all PMDs have to be certified under the UL2272 fire-safety standard as well. And PMDs which are not compliant to these, will be effectively banned from sale at all retailers.
Combating reckless e-scooter driving
We’re glad that the government is taking steps to reduce incidents of reckless driving by e-scooter riders.
These 5 E-Scooter Accidents Show Why We Need Tougher Laws On PMDs
Jail terms and fines have traditionally worked as strong deterrents in Singapore, so we hope that unfortunate instances of e-scooter accidents will be minimised once regulations kick in.
Featured image from Twitter.
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