S'pore Traffic Police measure height of child passengers to see if they need booster seats

Children required to use booster seats or approved adjustable seat belts if they are below 1.35m.

Kayla Wong | July 29, 2019, 02:07 AM

Spot checks on child passengers have been taken up a notch by the Singapore Traffic Police.

Videos posted to Facebook showed traffic police here conducting spot checks on vehicles with children in a bid to ensure proper use of booster seats.

Measuring their height by the roadside

Videos and photos were uploaded on July 28:

The traffic police appeared to flag down vehicles with children who then stepped out by the side of the road to have their heights physically measured using measuring tape.

https://www.facebook.com/alan.huang.5/videos/pcb.3168656453152295/3168655886485685/

The post was shared by Roads.sg, a local road community Facebook page.

Commenters applaud move

While not all commenters were impressed with the random checks, most approved of such measures taken by the traffic police to ensure the safety of child passengers.

Screenshot via Roads.sg

Screenshot via Huang Jiaxing/FB

Passengers below 1.35m must be belted up

According to the traffic regulations, both adults and children below the height of 1.35m are required to use booster seats or approved adjustable seat belts so as to lower the risk of injury in the event of an accident.

However, taxis are exempted from the child restraint requirement.

This is because it is not reasonable to expect them to be equipped with booster seats and child restraints at all times, or for drivers to reject passengers with infants or children, according to the Land Transport Authority.

What's the penalty?

Adult passengers who fail to belt up can be fined S$120.

Drivers who fail to belt up can receive a composite fine of S$120 and three demerit points.

In addition, drivers who fail to ensure that their passengers belt up are subject to the same penalty.

Should adult passengers and drivers who fail to belt up get charged in court and convicted, the penalty shall be a fine of not more than S$1,000 or imprisonment for not more than three months.

In the case of a second or subsequent offence, offenders shall be fined not more than S$2,000 or face a jail term of six months.

Top image via Huang Jiaxing's Facebook