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Do you know that in S’pore, you could be jailed for driving when you’re sleepy? No kidding.

2016-04-27 , 12:37 am

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If you cause a fatal accident when you’ve not slept for 24 hours, then you might be jailed for two years or/and fined.

Before 2014, drivers who caused death by negligent driving would typically be fined. However, in 2013, when someone didn’t sleep for 24 hours straight blanked out as she was driving and killed one person and injured another eleven people, the change occurred.

The Straits Times reported in 2014 that initially, the driver, Ms Hue An Li, was charged and fined the maximum of $10,000 and a five-year driving ban. However, the prosecution appealed and succeeded, citing that her act was “gross negligence” and therefore sentenced her to four weeks to prison.

In other words, yes, you’ll be jailed if you drive when you’re too sleepy.

However, there’s just one obstacle: how do you determine if you’re “too sleepy”? The 24-hour timeframe is the benchmark, but there’s no accurate test to determine whether one has done that or not, unlike a breath test in driving under influence. In addition, there’re certain ambiguities in the benchmark: does taking a two-hour power nap in thirty-six hours considered driving while sleepy?

Like what the article in The Straits Times indicated, the only clear-cut factor to determine if one is driving while sleepy is through video evidence of the driver dozing off.

But why leave everything to that? Why only be scared when we realize that we’ll be jailed? We should all just play by ear and be safe: if you’re too sleepy, don’t drive. Do yourself and other road users a favour.

Top Image: 111foto / Shutterstock.com

Do you know that in S’pore, you could be jailed for driving when you’re sleepy? No kidding.

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