Singaporean driver arrested when entering Johor Bahru! Be careful not to violate the "three-qua

On December 13, a Singaporean driver was intercepted by law enforcement officers for allegedly violating the requirement to carry at least three-quarters of a fuel tank when leaving the vehicle.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer asked the driver to hand over his passport and directed him to stop the vehicle and proceed to the ICA duty office. However, the driver did not cooperate with this request. Instead, he chose to quickly start his vehicle, dragging the officer several meters away. In the process, the vehicle nearly collided with a pedestrian and other parked vehicles nearby.

The police pointed out in a statement that day that the incident caused the ICA officer to be physically injured and he was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The 38-year-old man suspected of committing the crime was driving his own vehicle and was subsequently arrested. He faces a charge of causing injury as a result of his reckless conduct.

The original plan was to try to leave Singapore through the Woodland checkpoint. He will be charged with reckless conduct causing harm under the Penal Code, which carries a possible jail term of up to one year, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

Under the Singapore Customs (Amendment) Bill 2019, all Singapore-registered vehicles must fill their fuel tanks to at least three-quarters (¾) of fuel before leaving Singapore through land checkpoints. This regulation applies to all vehicles, including hybrid cars, as well as cars that run on petrol, diesel and/or compressed natural gas.

It is an offense to fail to comply with the three-quarter fuel tank requirement. Offenders may face fines of up to $500 or be taken to court. At the same time, violators will also be ordered to turn back and can leave the country only after refueling.

Since large diesel-powered vehicles such as tourist buses and trucks may not be able to make U-turns to refuel before leaving the country if they are caught at checkpoints, drivers are still allowed to leave the country, but the fines they have to pay are also relatively higher. U-turn vehicles are fairer.

This is in line with the diesel taxation measures announced in the 2017 Budget to further control diesel consumption and reduce air pollution.