SINGAPORE: A total of 87 summonses were issued to errant heavy vehicle drivers for various traffic offences in a three-day enforcement operation, the police said on Friday (May 9).

During the operation from May 5 to May 7 by the traffic police and Land Transport Authority (LTA), 192 heavy vehicles were stopped for checks.

Summonses were given for offences ranging from speeding and using mobile devices while driving, to failing to keep left and failing to display speed limiter labels visibly.

There were also 94 LTA-related violations, such as excluded vehicles travelling on expressways without a permit and overloaded vehicles.

LACK OF SPEED LIMITER LABELS A CONCERN

During the last leg of the enforcement blitz on Wednesday, members of the media got an up-close look at the operation.

Standing by a road in Tuas, officers monitored heavy vehicles and signalled drivers to stop at the side for inspection. 

CNA witnessed two drivers being issued summonses for not displaying speed limiter labels at the top right of the vehicles' windscreens.

These were among 24 heavy vehicles caught during the three-day operation for not displaying the labels. The number of heavy vehicles found operating without these labels was of "particular concern", said the police. 

Under the law, heavy vehicles with maximum laden weight exceeding 12 tonnes must be fitted with speed limiters, which are typically connected to the accelerator system. 

They restrict a heavy vehicle’s maximum speed, significantly reducing the risk of speed-related accidents, said the police.

Together with other measures, such as infrastructure improvements and enforcement, they help to reduce fatalities and injuries, they added.

Starting January 2024, the traffic police have required lorries with a maximum laden weight of between 3,501kg and 12,000kg to be installed with speed limiters. These ensure that lorries do not go beyond the speed limit of 60kmh. 

Lorries were given two to three years - depending on whether they were registered before or after 2018 - to comply with the speed limiter requirement.

Those registered before Jan 1, 2018 that weigh between 5,001kg and 12,000kg have until Jan 1, 2026 to inst...