SINGAPORE — From the second quarter of this year, red-light cameras may be activated to catch motorists who speed, apart from the usual function they have now to capture those who beat the red light.

Red-light cameras have always been fitted with speed enforcement capabilities, but this would be the first time that this function is set to be used.

The move is part of wider plans by the police to take a tougher enforcement stance against irresponsible road users, given the surge in fatal accidents and road traffic deaths last year.

In 2023, there were 33 cases of speeding-related fatal accidents, almost double the 18 cases in 2022.

Releasing these statistics earlier on Tuesday, the police said that the number of violations detected by traffic enforcement cameras at known places had fallen last year.

In contrast, the number of speeding violations detected by other police enforcement operations went up by 22 per cent: From 52,016 cases in 2022 to 63,468 in 2023.

“This suggests that motorists choose to speed at locations where they think there is no enforcement presence,” the police said on Friday.

“This disregard of traffic rules when there are no enforcement cameras is a concern.

"Every violation or accident is one too many as it could potentially lead to a loss of life.” 

Against this backdrop, the police will thus “dynamically” activate and deploy the speed enforcement function in red-light cameras from the second quarter of this year, "prioritising locations that are accident-prone and violation-prone", they said.

More than 320 locations of traffic enforcement cameras are published on the website of the Singapore Police Force. The police said that this information is made known because they adopt a “transparent approach” towards enforcement.

The cameras are painted in bright orange and white stripes to enhance their visibility to motorists, and clear warning signages with the road speed limit are also placed before the traffic camera enforcement zones.

“By being transparent about the locations of these enforcement cameras and implementing measures to alert motorists of such enforcement zones, the Traffic Police aims to warn and deter motorists from committing traffic offences, ensuring safer roads for all,” the police said.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alex Au, a team leader in the Traffic Police patrol unit, said that the enforcement cameras complement island-wide enforcement operations by traffic police officers.

The cameras help to “shape driver behaviour” at specific locations, so that officers may undertake other enforcement duties elsewhere, he added.

“Motorists should adhere to the speed limit and obey the traffic law regardless of whether they think there is enforcement presence. The Traffic Police will not hesitate to take stern enforcement actions against those who pose a danger to others on our roads,” ASP Au warned.

With the activation of its speed enforcement capabilities, the red-light cameras will be the sixth and latest in a suite of enforcement cameras used by the police to detect speeding violations and deployed island-wide.

One enforcement camera now in use is the police radar speed camera, which is installed on the dashboard of all Traffic Police expressway patrol cars. It allows officers to record videos of speeding vehicles when they are patrolling on the road.

The police speed laser camera is another enforcement camera in use. A portable speed laser gun, the camera can be carried by traffic police officers and used for ad-hoc anti-speeding operations.

Through photos and videos recorded, the camera is able to track and identify speeding vehicles from afar. It is also equipped with infra-red detection capabilities, which means that it can be deployed even in the dark.