While traffic offences such as speeding and drink driving are widely known for its serious consequences, here are some regulations that we might have crossed unknowingly.
1. Engine Idling
If you have not known, it is illegal to keep your engine running except when you are caught up in a bad traffic condition. According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the rationale behind this traffic offence is due to the contribution to air pollution. Remember the times when Singapore’s scorching hot weather became intolerable while you were waiting in your car and you turned on the car’s engine for some cool air? If you were not caught at that point in time, luck is on your side. However, not only it is illegal, it wastes fuel consumption as it was used up while the engine runs. Hence, leaving your car’s engine idle for a moment of enjoyment harms both the environment and your wallet in the long run.
2. Too Much Reversing
According to the Road Traffic Rules, it is illegal to reverse your car for a great distance or time that may bring about inconvenience or danger to other road users. For example, if you happen to make a wrong turn into a side road, reversing out to the main road is illegal. It is advisable to find an alternative way out if you were stuck in that situation. However, there is no limit set to the distance of reversing as it depends on the varying situations on the road.
3. Parallel Parking in the Opposite Direction
Parallel parking is probably one of the most difficult parking that drivers dread, and encountering an opposite direction parallel parking makes the situation worse. According to Housing and Development Board (HDB), vehicles in parallel parking lots should be parked in the same direction as the traffic moves lawfully. The rationale behind this regulation is due to the danger that opposite direction parallel parking brings to other road users as it retracts from the parking lot.
4. An empty fuel tank that causes you to stop in the tunnel
If you are running low on your fuel, avoid heading into the tunnel in case your car breaks down. According to the Road Traffic Rules, a vehicle that does not carry sufficient fuel to last through the tunnel is not allowed to enter it. This may cause traffic disruption and poses a danger to other road users’ safety in the tunnel. The best way to avoid this situation is to ensure that is sufficient fuel for your car to bring you to your destination, hence not violating the regulations and endangering the safety of road users.
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