Singapore proposes harsher penalties for dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, lower drink-driving limits

HARSHER PENALTIES

The Bill introduces a new offence of purposeful endangerment using a vehicle and causing death or grievous hurt.

“A vehicle can become a dangerous weapon if misused. Where a driver deliberately endangers another person using a vehicle and causes death, he must face consequences that are proportionate to his culpability and harm,” said MHA.

However, the driver cannot be convicted for murder or culpable homicide unless it can be proven beyond reasonable doubt that he intended to kill or knew that the act was likely to cause death.

Such an offender is likely to be charged currently with dangerous driving causing death. The maximum jail term is eight years for first-time offenders.

“There should be increased deterrence and graver consequences for such conduct,” MHA said. 

It added that the new offence includes grievous hurt as whether the victim dies is not within the offender’s control. 

The ministry also gave several examples of purposeful endangerment.

A car driver drives closely behind a motorcyclist and presses his car horn several times. This endangers the motorcyclist’s personal safety, and the car driver does so for the purpose of endangering the motorcyclist’s personal safety.

The car driver then loses control of the car and collides with the back of the motorcycle, causing the motorcyclist to crash and die. This makes the car driver guilty of an offence of purpose endangerment.

Offenders may face a mandatory jail term of up to 15 years, and may be caned or fined.

They will also be subject to lifetime disqualification unless the court determines that there are special reasons not to do so, said MHA. In that case, the offenders will face mandatory disqualification of at least 10 years.

The court will also have the power to order that the vehicle used in the incident be forfeited.