Drivers in Singapore will have less room for traffic violations from 1 January 2027.
Under a tightened Driver Improvement Points System, commonly known as the demerit points system, motorists who have completed their one-year probationary period will be suspended after accumulating 18 demerit points within 24 months.
The current threshold for a first suspension is 24 points within 24 months.
The first suspension will also become longer, increasing from 12 weeks to four months.
Just 18 Points Can Lead to a Suspension
The new 18-point threshold applies to non-probationary motorists, which means drivers who have completed their first year after receiving their licence.
It can be easier to reach 18 points than some drivers may realise.
For example, using a mobile communication device while driving carries 12 demerit points. Failing to obey traffic light signals also carries 12 points.
Exceeding a road or vehicle speed limit by up to 20kmh carries six points.
Therefore, a driver who commits one 12-point offence and later receives another six points could reach the suspension threshold.
Some serious offences can get a driver suspended immediately.
Offences that currently carry 24 points will be reduced to 18 points because there is no longer any practical need to award more than the suspension threshold. These include reckless or dangerous driving and exceeding the applicable road or vehicle speed limit by more than 50kmh.
This does not mean the offences are becoming less serious. It simply means that 18 points will already be enough to trigger the suspension.
Suspension Periods Will Become Longer
A motorist’s first suspension currently lasts 12 weeks.
From 1 January 2027, it will last four months.
Suspended drivers can currently complete a voluntary 1.5-day DIPS Retraining Course to reduce their first suspension to four weeks, or possibly one week if their offences were not accident-related.
Under the revised system, motorists will get only one opportunity to complete the course during their first suspension. Doing so will reduce the four-month suspension to six weeks.
That is still considerably longer than the reductions available under the current system.
The second suspension will increase from 24 weeks to six months. Drivers will no longer be allowed to reduce a second suspension by completing the retraining course.
A third suspension will last two years, up from one year.
Every subsequent suspension will last five years.
The revised threshold of 18 points within 24 months will also be used for subsequent suspensions. Under the current system, motorists who have already been suspended face another suspension after accumulating 12 points within 12 months.
New Drivers Can Lose Their Licences at 12 Points
Probationary motorists will face a different consequence.
These are new licence holders who are still within the one-year probationary period that begins when their driving licence is issued.
Currently, their licence is revoked if they accumulate 13 or more demerit points during that year.
From 1 January 2027, the revocation threshold will be lowered to 12 points.
Unlike a suspension, which temporarily prevents someone from driving, a revoked licence becomes invalid.
This means one offence involving the use of a mobile communication device while driving, or failing to obey a traffic signal, could potentially be enough to cost a probationary motorist their licence.
Existing Points Will Be Adjusted Once
The Traffic Police will introduce a one-time adjustment on 1 January 2027 so that motorists are not automatically pushed closer to the new thresholds merely because the rules have changed.
Non-probationary motorists will have up to six demerit points deducted from their balance as of 31 December 2026.
Probationary motorists will have up to one point deducted.
For example, a non-probationary motorist with nine points at the end of 2026 will begin 2027 with three points.
Someone with four points will have their balance reduced to zero.
Any unused portion of the six-point deduction may be applied to offences committed before 1 January 2027, even when the offence notice is issued later.
However, it cannot be saved for offences committed from 1 January onwards. It is a transition measure, not a six-point “get out of trouble” voucher.
Fines for the affected offences will still have to be paid.
The Safe Driving Course Is Being Discontinued
The Traffic Police will also discontinue the Safe Driving Course from 1 January 2027.
The course is currently offered to eligible motorists who have accumulated points but have not reached the suspension threshold. Completing it removes four points from the driver’s record.
However, the authorities found that participation was low. Only 15 per cent of motorists offered the course in 2025 took it up.
The difference in reoffending rates between motorists who attended and those who did not was also marginal.
The Traffic Police stopped issuing new offer letters for the course from 1 August 2026. Motorists who have already received an offer must complete the course by 31 December 2026.
Demerit Points Can Still Be Cleared Through Good Driving
The existing incentives for responsible driving will remain.
A motorist’s previous demerit points will be removed if they do not commit another traffic offence for 12 months from the date of their last offence.
Previous suspensions can also eventually be removed from a motorist’s record after an offence-free period.
Therefore, someone who has accumulated points is not stuck with them forever. The simplest course is also the most obvious one: follow the traffic rules and keep the record clean.
Why the Rules Are Becoming Stricter
The Traffic Police said road safety in Singapore had deteriorated.
There were 149 road deaths in 2025, up 5 per cent from 142 in 2024. This was the highest number recorded in 10 years.
The number of injured people also increased by 6.6 per cent, from 9,342 in 2024 to 9,955 in 2025.
The revised system is intended to deter traffic violations and keep motorists who repeatedly break the rules off the roads for longer.
The authorities also consulted transport union leaders because of concerns about the potential impact on vocational drivers’ livelihoods. The one-time deduction was introduced so drivers would not face suspension or revocation solely because the thresholds had changed.
