Stomper notices more Malaysian motorcycles with 'tiny' licence plates in S'pore: 'Double standards'?
Are they legal?
Stomper Martin noticed that lately, more and more Malaysian motorcycles in Singapore have what he called "tiny" licence plates.
He asked: "Why are non-Singapore motorcycles with tiny licence numbers allowed to be on the roads in Singapore whereas locally-registered motorcycles must stick to the normal-size licence plates.
"This sounds like local authorities practising double standards. Shouldn't they do something about this?
"Such tiny number licence plates are less visible from a distance and pose a problem when it comes to identifying vehicles that violate traffic rules here."
In Singapore, all vehicles, including foreign-registered vehicles, entering Singapore must comply with Singapore's traffic laws and stipulated safety and emission requirements, according to the Singapore Police Force.
The licence plates on these vehicles must conform to the mandated specifications and be properly displayed.
For all vehicles, the requirements for lettering dimensions are as follows:
- Letters and digits are 70mm high, 50mm wide and 10mm broad.
- The space between adjoining letters or between adjoining digits is 10mm.
- The space between a letter and a digit next to each other is 20mm.
- The space from the nearest part of each letter and digit to the top or bottom of the vehicle licence plate is 10mm.
- The space from the nearest part of each letter and digit to the side of the vehicle licence plate is 20mm.
For motorcycles, to accommodate the curvature of the mudguard, there is an alternative option for the front and rear licence plates to follow smaller lettering dimensions:
Front licence plate
- Letters and digits are 35mm high, 25mm wide and 5mm broad.
- The space between adjoining letters or between adjoining numbers is 5mm.
- The space between a letter and a digit next to each other is 10mm.
- The space from the nearest part of each letter and digit to the top or bottom of the vehicle licence plate is 5mm.
- The space from the nearest part of each letter and digit to the side of the vehicle licence plate is 10mm.
Rear licence plate
- Letters and digits are 50mm high, 30mm wide and 5mm broad.
- The space between adjoining letters or between adjoining numbers is 10mm.
- The space between a letter and a digit next to each other is 20mm.
- The space from the nearest part of each letter and digit to the top, bottom and side of the vehicle licence plate is 10mm.
Motorists who are found to be non-compliant may face penalties and foreign-registered vehicles may be denied entry into Singapore at the land checkpoints.
In March, a total of 269 motorcycles were stopped for checks near the Woodlands Checkpoint and the Land Transport Authority issued 31 summonses for offences such as improper number plates, expired vehicle entry permit, expired road tax and expired insurance.
The offence of displaying improper licence plates carries a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment not exceeding three months or both. Repeat offenders are liable to a fine not exceeding $2,000, imprisonment not exceeding six months or both.
