SINGAPORE — Bridging Yishun and Seletar, the Yishun Dam has long been a popular recreational spot, frequented by anglers as well as those hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunset. 

In the early hours of Saturday (Mar 27), however, there was a different buzz of activity. Dozens of vehicles, including more than 30 motorcycles, were pulled aside by officers from the Traffic Police and the Land Transport Authority (LTA). 

Vehicles lined the side of the road near the junction of Yishun Avenue 1 and Seletar North Link, as officers questioned the motorists and checked under car bonnets, even getting on their hands and knees to inspect under vehicles for illegal modifications.  

About 500m down the road, a police officer armed with a laser speed camera is on the lookout for motorists busting the speed limit as they make the turn towards the dam.  

One vehicle was caught moving at 83kmh, going over the speed limit of 50kmh along the 1km stretch.  

Yishun Dam is identified on the Singapore Police Force website as one of the top 10 locations for speeding violations last month. 

It was one of the locations where the police and the LTA cracked down on speeding and illegal vehicle modification offences, as part of five nights of joint operations across Singapore that ended on Saturday.

A total of 71 summonses were issued for various traffic offences, including speeding, said the police.

"The Traffic Police takes a serious view of motorists who choose to flout traffic rules and cause danger to other road users," the police said in a statement. 

"Besides enforcement, TP will continue with education and engagement efforts to remind motorists to adopt good roadsense while using the roads."

In addition, LTA detected 54 offences related to illegal vehicle modifications, such as modified exhaust systems and the use of non-compliant tinted films. 

"Speeding and illegal modifications endanger yourself and others," LTA said in a Facebook post on Saturday evening. 

"We urge all motorists to drive carefully, adhere to speed limits and comply with our guidelines for vehicle modifications."

Speeding is Singapore’s number one traffic offence, with 162,324 speeding violations last year. 

There was a 3.1 per cent increase in the number of speeding-related accidents, which went up from 735 in 2019 to 758 last year. Twenty-seven of them were fatal accidents.

The issue of speeding came under the spotlight last month, following the Tanjong Pagar crash involving a BMW M4. It slammed into a shophouse in the early hours of the morning on the second day of Chinese New Year, bursting into flames and killing the five people on board.  

The accident is under investigation, but it raised questions about the illegal street racing scene. 

Speaking in Parliament earlier this month, Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said that 31 people had been arrested for their involvement in four cases of illegal street racing between 2018 and 2020, with the cases all pending investigations or court proceedings. 

Separately, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor noted that LTA had issued an average of 610 notices of offences per month to owners of illegally modified vehicles over the last two years. 

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Saturday morning’s enforcement action, Traffic Police patrol unit team leader Tan Jia Ming said that regular operations are conducted at hotspots to deter speeding, drink driving and other unsafe driving practices. 

“Even though Singapore’s road traffic situation improved in 2020, the Traffic Police maintain a tough enforcement stance on any irresponsible driving behaviour,” said Assistant Superintendent Tan. 

“Road safety is a shared responsibility. All road users are advised to use your road sense and play your part in keeping Singapore’s roads safe.” CNA

For more stories like this, visit cna.asia