SINGAPORE: The Government has no plans to install noise-measuring instruments to detect illegal vehicle modifications because it is “quite challenging” to do so, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor in Parliament on Wednesday (Mar 1).
Last year, the traffic police received about 420 complaints about speeding, while the Land Transport Authority (LTA) received about 3,600 reports on illegal modification of vehicle engines, she added.
Dr Khor was responding to a parliamentary question filed by Member of Parliament Lim Wee Kiak (PAP-Sembawang) on how much feedback LTA has received from residents in the past year about speeding vehicles with modified engines.
Dr Lim also asked how long it takes for LTA to investigate and implement measures to address the issue, and whether traffic police cameras in the area will be equipped to capture footage related to the problem.
Dr Khor said that LTA conducts onsite checks on vehicles reported to have been illegally modified, either at the reported location or at the owner’s registered address.
Vehicles assessed to be illegally modified would have to be inspected at authorised inspection centres, she added.
The owners will be charged under the Road Traffic Act and, if convicted, can be jailed for up to three months or fined up to S$5,000, or both.
Dr Khor said that investigations typically take about eight weeks, or longer for more complex cases.
Meanwhile, traffic police officers use cameras for enforcement against speeding. If patrol officers detect a speeding vehicle with suspected illegal modifications, they will refer the case to LTA for further investigation, she added.