Measures to Prevent Installation of Illegal Vehicle Licence Plates

16 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Transport (a) what enforcement measures are in place to prevent vehicle owners from installing illegal vehicle licence plates; and (b) how will the Ministry address cases where owners can switch between compliant and non-compliant vehicle licence plates with ease.

Mr Chee Hong Tat (for the Minister for Transport): Registered vehicle owners must ensure that their vehicle licence plates comply with requirements set out in the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Registration and Licensing) Rules. It is an offence to display vehicle licence plates that do not conform to the prescribed specifications. For first-time offenders, it carries a fine of up to $1,000, or imprisonment of up to three months, or both. The penalties are doubled for repeat offenders.

Vehicle licence plates are checked during periodic inspections at authorised inspection centres for all vehicles. In addition, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforces the rules against errant vehicles through conducting regular patrols and receiving feedback from members of public and other agencies.

From January to October 2023, LTA has taken enforcement actions against more than 2,000 vehicles with licence plate offences.