Singapore Traffic Camera Trial Flags More Than 6,000 Suspected Violations in First Month

Eleven locations, thousands of detections and no trial fines

Singapore's new Traffic Violation Enforcement Camera system detected more than 6,000 potential offences across 11 locations in the first month of a trial that began in September 2025, according to information released by the police. Crossing continuous double white lines was the most common violation flagged.

As of November 1, 2025, no penalties are being issued for detections by the new cameras. Officers are reviewing footage, checking whether the system identifies offences accurately and adjusting its settings before enforcement begins. Full operations are targeted for the first quarter of 2026.

The cameras are designed to catch illegal U turns, double white line crossings, stopping in yellow box junctions, running red lights and ignoring mandatory directional signs. These actions can create dangerous encounters between vehicles or block traffic, even when a driver is travelling within the speed limit.

Singapore already uses speed cameras and red light cameras, many of which can also detect speeding. The new equipment extends automated monitoring to other movements that usually require an officer to be present to witness an offence. Mobile units can be moved as problems develop at different locations.

Police are introducing the trial against a worsening road safety picture. Accidents causing injuries or deaths rose from 3,507 in the first half of 2024 to 3,818 in the first half of 2025. Fatal accidents and the number of people killed also increased.

The trial has two immediate purposes: to test whether the technology can reliably recognise prohibited movements and to prepare a system that can monitor roads continuously. For motorists, the rules themselves remain familiar. The change is how often a violation can be detected and recorded.

How the cameras identify a suspected offence

The Traffic Violation Enforcement Camera system combines video analytics with automatic number plate recognition. Video analytics means software examines footage and tracks how vehicles move through a defined area. Number plate recognition reads the vehicle's registration so that a recorded movement can be linked to a particular vehicle.

The analytics module builds a model of vehicle movement within its detection zone. When it identifies a suspected illegal action, the system captures a short video or a series of images. It also records details including the number plate, the time and the suspected offence type.

Officers review those detections during the trial to validate accuracy and calibrate the equipment. Once the cameras become operational, analysts will verify the evidence and prepare cases for enforcement. This review is intended to make detections accurate and consistent before notices are issued.

A conventional speed camera focuses on a vehicle's speed against the posted limit. A red light camera records vehicles entering a junction after the signal turns red, and many of Singapore's red light cameras can also enforce speed limits. The new system examines movement patterns across a wider range of offences, rather than relying on a single beam or loop sensor.

Continuous monitoring could reduce the need for officers to stand at individual junctions waiting to witness these offences. It would also leave officers more time for duties that need direct human involvement. The new devices supplement the existing camera fleet rather than replace it.

Where the mobile units are being tested

Eleven sites have been included in testing and calibration since September. The locations cover residential roads, busy corridors and places near schools or shopping areas. Because the devices are mobile, their positions can change during the trial.

• Bidadari Park Drive
• Dunearn Road
• Simei Street 5
• Tampines Avenue 4
• Queensway outside Queensway Shopping Centre
• Bishan Street 14
• Jervois Lane
• Tampines Street 91
• Tanjong Katong Road near the junction with Wareham Road
• Hillcrest Road near Raffles Girls Primary School
• West Coast Way near West Coast Grove

The devices are painted bright orange with white stripes, making them easy for motorists to see, much like existing enforcement cameras. Police plan to publish their locations on the Singapore Police Force website when the system is ready for full operations. Visibility and published locations are intended to encourage compliance and make deployment transparent.

Police can redeploy the cameras to areas prone to accidents or places where members of the public report frequent violations. This flexibility allows monitoring to follow changing traffic problems instead of depending on a permanently fixed position.

The daily figure given for the first month was about 20 offences across the 11 sites, alongside the total of more than 6,000 potential offences. Those figures describe different scales of activity, and no explanation for the gap was given. All detections remain subject to review during testing, with no enforcement action taken through the new system.

Why double white line crossings lead the detections

Continuous double white lines tell traffic travelling in opposite directions to remain on its own side of the road. Under the Highway Code, drivers must not make U turns or right turns across those lines, and should not straddle them.

Overtaking is allowed only when a vehicle stays fully to the left of the lines. A driver cannot cross them simply because there appears to be a gap in oncoming traffic or because the intended turn is nearby.

The trial identified these crossings as its most common suspected offence, particularly where traffic is heavy and drivers attempt quick turns or lane changes. Busy corridors and junctions can create frustration, with motorists tempted to cross the lines to gain an advantage.

The penalties already in place are not changing as part of the trial. Typical fines for crossing double white lines range from S$150 to S$200. Illegal U turns usually attract fines between S$100 and S$150.

Planning a turn early can help a driver avoid a last minute decision to cross a prohibited line. Where a U turn is not permitted, the alternative is to continue to a legal U turn point. Keeping the vehicle fully within its lane also avoids straddling the lines while overtaking or preparing to turn.

Yellow boxes, red lights and directional signs

A yellow box marks an area of a junction that must be kept clear. Drivers should enter only when there is enough space beyond the box for them to leave it. A vehicle stranded inside can block traffic crossing from another direction, allowing congestion to spread beyond the original queue.

An exception applies when a driver is turning right and waiting in the box for a gap in oncoming traffic or for vehicles also turning right, provided the exit is otherwise clear. Stopping in the box because the exit is blocked can lead to a fine.

Mandatory directional signs tell drivers which movements are required or permitted. The new cameras can detect motorists ignoring those directions, as well as entering a junction against a red light. Their purpose is to record a broader set of risky movements than speed measurement alone can capture.

Illegal U turns and double white line crossings can lead to side impact crashes or collisions in which vehicles scrape alongside each other. Stopping in yellow boxes can block intersections, while sudden manoeuvres can contribute to rear end collisions. These problems can become concentrated at particular junctions and along busy corridors.

Camera monitoring can provide coverage 24 hours a day at such locations. Until now, enforcement of these technical violations has generally depended on officers being present. That approach requires substantial staffing and cannot provide continuous coverage everywhere.

What the first half of 2025 showed about road safety

Singapore recorded 3,818 road accidents resulting in injuries or deaths in the first half of 2025, compared with 3,507 in the same period of 2024. The increase was 311 accidents, or about 8.9 percent, using those figures.

Fatal accidents rose from 70 to 78, while fatalities increased from 72 to 79. An accident and a fatality count different things: one fatal accident can kill more than one person. The figures show that both the number of deadly crashes and the number of people killed increased.

Motorcyclists and elderly pedestrians continued to account for a large share of deaths and injuries. Accidents involving elderly pedestrians increased, and 15 elderly pedestrians died in the first half of 2025.

Accidents involving motorcyclists also grew. Motorcyclists and pillion riders, meaning passengers travelling behind the rider on a motorcycle, accounted for more than half of road deaths.

Speeding offences climbed sharply too. More than 118,000 were recorded in the first half of 2025, up about 45 percent from the same period in 2024. Police have enabled speed enforcement in many red light cameras since 2024, and those cameras have already detected tens of thousands of speeding cases.

Collisions linked to red light running and unsafe manoeuvres continued despite stricter speed enforcement. The new trial addresses another part of that problem: actions that create conflict between vehicles or obstruct a junction even without a speed violation.

What research says about compliance and braking

Research in Singapore and abroad has found that enforcement cameras can reduce violations when drivers expect a high chance of being caught. Studies of junctions equipped with red light cameras found far fewer red light running incidents on approaches covered by cameras than on comparable approaches without them.

At locations carrying large volumes of traffic, violation rates can differ several fold. The pattern is consistent with experience in cities using cameras to discourage drivers from gambling on late yellow signals or making quick turns through prohibited areas.

Some locations experience more rear end braking conflicts when cameras are first installed. Others show immediate reductions in dangerous encounters between vehicles. Over time, evaluations reviewed by other researchers generally find that consistent detection improves compliance.

Singapore's trial extends this approach beyond the traditional focus on speed and red lights. Detecting double white line crossings, illegal U turns and yellow box offences may help reduce conflicts that a speed reading alone would miss. The current testing period is focused on checking the system's accuracy before enforcement starts.

What is planned between now and early 2026

Police aim to make the new cameras operational in the first quarter of 2026. No exact start date has been given. During testing and calibration, motorists will not receive summonses for detections by this system.

The planned sequence includes the camera rollout and separate road safety measures:

• Since 2024: Police have enabled speed enforcement in many red light cameras.
• September 2025: Testing and calibration of the new Traffic Violation Enforcement Camera system began at 11 locations.
• First month of the trial: More than 6,000 potential offences were detected, with double white line crossings the most common.
• November 1, 2025: The trial remains a testing exercise, with officers reviewing detections and no penalties issued through the new system.
• January 2026: Heavier penalties for speeding are planned to begin.
• First quarter of 2026: Full operations for the new cameras are targeted, with locations to be published when the system is ready.

Existing penalty schedules continue to cover illegal U turns, double white line crossings and yellow box violations. No changes to fines for those specific offences have been indicated as part of the camera rollout. Separate measures, including speed limiters for certain heavy vehicles, are also being phased in.

Once enforcement begins, action will be based on verified evidence captured by the cameras. A notice is expected to be supported by images or video linked to the vehicle's plate and the time and place of the offence.

Motorists who believe a notice contains an error will have a process to contest it, as with other automated enforcement. The months of validation before launch are intended to help ensure that detections are reliable and applied consistently.

What motorists can do now

Many drivers support stronger action against risky behaviour, while some worry about false detections or whether they will need to learn new rules. The trial concerns a new method of monitoring existing offences, with footage reviewed before the system moves into enforcement.

Motorists can reduce the risk of mistakes by making decisions before reaching a junction rather than improvising in heavy traffic. The same habits can help traffic move more smoothly:

• Plan turns early and continue to a legal U turn point when a U turn is prohibited.
• Approach yellow box junctions slowly and enter only when there is space to leave on the far side, subject to the right turn exception.
• Follow mandatory directional signs instead of changing the intended movement at the last moment.
• Allow extra time in heavy traffic, where rushing and improvised manoeuvres can lead to violations.
• Keep the vehicle within its lane and do not straddle continuous double white lines to overtake or turn.

A single vehicle blocking a yellow box can cause congestion to spread, while an illegal U turn can put a driver directly into the path of another vehicle. The cameras bring continuous monitoring to these everyday movements, with highly visible equipment and published locations intended to encourage safer choices.

Road design, public education and targeted operations by officers remain part of the wider safety effort. Singapore's existing speed enforcement, planned tougher speeding penalties and the new camera trial address different behaviours. If validation succeeds, the mobile system will provide consistent evidence and continuous coverage while allowing police to move equipment to emerging problem areas.

The Bottom Line

• More than 6,000 potential offences were detected in the first month of a trial that began in September 2025 at 11 locations.
• No penalties are being issued through the new system during testing and calibration.
• Double white line crossings were the most common suspected violation.
• The cameras also target illegal U turns, yellow box offences, red light running and breaches of mandatory directional signs.
• Mobile units use video analytics and number plate recognition, with officers reviewing the evidence.
• Full operations are targeted for the first quarter of 2026, and police plan to publish camera locations.
• Accidents causing injuries or deaths increased from 3,507 in the first half of 2024 to 3,818 in the first half of 2025.
• More than 118,000 speeding offences were recorded in the first half of 2025, up about 45 percent.
• Heavier speeding penalties are planned from January 2026; the camera trial brings no indicated change to fines for its other targeted offences.