S'pore man, 25, allegedly sped off & drove against traffic to avoid traffic police checks, among 9 men investigated over deregistered vehicles

A 25-year-old driver who allegedly sped off after being signalled to stop by traffic police (TP) officers is among nine men under investigation for using deregistered vehicles and other traffic-related offences in separate cases across Singapore.

Drove against flow of traffic

The police in an Apr. 28 statement said the man had been driving along Sembawang Drive on Feb. 3 at about 5:45pm.

Officers signalled to him to stop his car for checks, but he allegedly refused to comply and sped off, damaging a police vehicle in the process.

During the pursuit, he allegedly ran red lights, made illegal U-turns, and drove against the flow of traffic.

But his identity was established through follow-up investigations, and he was arrested within a day.

Investigations into his alleged use of a deregistered vehicle and driving without insurance coverage are ongoing.

Teenager among those being investigated

In total, nine men aged between 19 and 32 were involved in seven separate cases between Jan. 30 and Feb. 12, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

As part of investigations, multiple deregistered cars and motorcycles have been seized by the police.

Several of those stopped were also found to have been driving without valid licences.

Others carried false number plates or had no insurance coverage.

In one case along Tampines Street 21 on Feb. 6, two men, aged 19 and 20, were found with two laid-up motorcycles and a suspected deregistered car, together with a 17-year-old male teenager.

Preliminary investigations found that the older man had driven the car and ridden one motorcycle, while the younger man and the teenager had ridden another motorcycle on the road.

Both men were arrested for driving without a valid licence, while the teenager is being investigated for driving before reaching the legal age.

The car and both motorcycles were seized.

Cases have risen in recent years

The latest cases come amid a broader rise in offences involving deregistered vehicles.

In parliament earlier this year, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said more than 80 crimes and traffic violations in 2025 involved such vehicles, up from 75 cases in 2024 and around 40 cases in both 2022 and 2023.

He added that deregistered vehicles had been used by underage drivers and in drug trafficking cases, according to The Straits Times, and warned that such vehicles often operate without valid insurance or periodic inspections and have also been linked to hit-and-run accidents.

Over the past three years, about 2,500 enforcement violations involving deregistered vehicles were recorded annually, with 415 vehicles seized during that period.

Around 43 per cent of those cases involved repeat offenders.

Amendments to the law passed earlier this year also raised the maximum penalty for first-time offenders caught keeping or using a deregistered vehicle to a fine of up to S$20,000, a jail term of up to two years, or both.