A few years ago, my father received a letter from the Traffic Police stating that his car was caught running a red light somewhere near our home.

My mind immediately flashed back to three weeks ago when I was driving home from school and was so incredibly hungry that I ran a red light.

Yes, I ran a red light because I was hungry.

I did my best to look like an innocent child who knew not what he did. I’m ashamed to say this, but I didn’t think what I did was that wrong at the time.

But soon after, I realized that the fate of innocent pedestrians lies in my hands and that it was my duty to drive cautiously to avoid injuring others. So, I vowed never to run a red light again!

(Coincidentally, this realization came immediately after I received a fine of $200 and 12 demerit points)

12 More New Red Light Cameras To Be Operational By March 2020

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that the Traffic Police (TP) will be installing 12 more red-light cameras by March 2020.

This is in addition to the 240 cameras that are already in use.

In a Facebook post, MHA said that “Speeding and red-light running are serious traffic violations that can cause injury and death”. They said that the (TP) is installing the 12 additional cameras to deter red-light running.

Locations

The 12 cameras will be installed at different locations all across the country:

Bad News for Motorists; Good News for Pedestrians

Now, if you’re a driver, you might be shaking your fists angrily at MHA for installing additional red-light cameras because you don’t want to incur any fines or demerit points.

But what we should appreciate is that these cameras are being installed for the sake of pedestrians and other motorists. I’m sure you’ve seen many horror crashes as a result of a driver running a red light.

And yes, it’s quite a hefty fine – under the revised road traffic act, motorists who beat the red light will earn 12 demerit points and face a $400 to $500 fine depending on their vehicle type – but we should think about the safety of others more than anything when approaching a traffic light.

Is it worth risking the lives of others just to get to our destination a couple of minutes earlier? Definitely not.

Be safe, and always drive with care.

If you’d like to check the locations of all the red-light cameras in Singapore, you can visit the link here.

Though seriously, if you do, then you’re a baddy guy – because you should obey all traffic lights even if there’s no red-light camera instead.

(Because a TP might be stationed nearby with a camera)