You’ll accumulate more demerit points and pay higher composition fines if you’re caught speeding in 2026.
You will soon be hit with enhanced penalties should you be caught breaking the speed limit of whichever stretch of road you’re on. As per a press release published on 28 May 2025 by Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), these enhanced penalties take effect on 1 January 2026, while existing penalties are applicable until 31 December 2025.
Demerit points and composition sums
As drivers know, when one is caught speeding, one must pay a composition fine as well as chalk up demerit points.
When the enhanced penalties take effect, demerit points will increase by 2 to 6 points, depending how much you exceed the speed limit. Under the current system, you will be hit with 4 demerit points if you go above the speed limit by 20km/h or less; in the enhanced framework, you will earn 6 demerit points. If you’d gone above the speed limit by 50 to 60km/h, you earn 18 demerit points under the current system, but 24 points from 1 January 2026 onwards.
It’s a similar story when it comes to composition fines – the amount payable increases the greater the variance from the speed limit. However, driving a heavy vehicle subjects you to a higher amount compared to driving a light vehicle for the same category of excess speed.
Nevertheless, what will not change come the new year is the penalty for the fastest categories of excess speed (between 40 and 50km/h, between 50 and 60km/h, above 60km/h): prosecution in court!
The changes in penalties are reflected in the table below:
In its press release, MHA shared that fatalities and injuries from road accidents have been on the rise over the past five years, with 7,188 road accidents and 142 fatalities in 2024. MHA also revealed that a major contributing factor to these tragedies was speeding. From the press release:
“The number of speeding violations reached a 10-year high in 2024. There were close to 192,000 speeding violations in 2024, an increase of 64.8% compared to 2023. There was also a 43.8% increase in speeding-related fatal accidents, from 32 cases in 2023 to 46 cases in 2024.”
To show its commitment to road safety and efforts to mitigate the rising trend in road accidents, MHA decided to enhance the penalties to “better reflect the severity of speeding offences and their potential consequences, and to deter dangerous driving”.
The Ministry urges drivers to adhere to speed limits and drive safely for their own protection as well as that of other road users. This is a message that AAS supports, and encourages members to follow this important advice for their safety and well-being.
