Alcohol, Drugs & Penalties
31 practice questions for the BTT & FTT
This topic covers the laws with the heaviest consequences: drink driving, drug driving, using a phone at the wheel, and the Driver Improvement Points System (DIPS) that tracks demerit points against your licence. It also covers seat belts and the child restraint rule, which is based on height rather than age.
Several of these rules changed in 2026. Speeding penalties rose from 1 January 2026. In August 2026 Parliament passed amendments that cut the drink-driving limits from 35 to 15 micrograms of alcohol per 100 ml of breath and from 80 to 30 mg per 100 ml of blood, make it an offence simply to hold a phone in your hand while the vehicle is moving, and create a new presence-based drug-driving offence. The Ministry of Home Affairs plans to bring these into operation in early 2027.
The Traffic Police are also tightening DIPS from 1 January 2027, with lower suspension and revocation thresholds and longer suspensions. Because the exact numbers change at the turn of the year, check the current figures on the Singapore Police Force website before your test.
Alcohol, Drugs & Penalties quiz
Unofficial practice questions written by coeprice.com. We are not affiliated with the Singapore Police Force, the LTA or any driving centre. Study the official handbook for your test. Read the official BTT handbook › Read the official FTT handbook ›
Practise offline in the app
Steer SG for Android keeps your progress, runs full BTT, FTT and RTT mock exams, and has every question in English, 中文, Melayu and தமிழ். The official handbooks save offline too. Free, no ads.
Theory practice is on Android now, iPhone update coming soon. Unofficial practice app. Not affiliated with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) or the LTA.
All alcohol, drugs & penalties questions and answers
-
Singapore's long-standing breath-alcohol limit for drivers was 35 micrograms per 100 ml of breath. Under the amendments Parliament passed in August 2026, what is the new limit?
Show answer
15 micrograms per 100 ml
The Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026 cuts the breath limit from 35 to 15 micrograms per 100 ml. MHA has said it plans to bring the changes into operation in early 2027.
-
Under the road traffic amendments Parliament passed in August 2026, the blood-alcohol limit for drivers is lowered from 80 mg per 100 ml of blood to what?
Show answer
30 mg per 100 ml
The blood limit falls from 80 mg to 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, which puts Singapore in line with places such as Japan and South Korea. The safest rule hasn't changed: if you drink, don't drive.
-
Can a driver be charged with drink driving even if their alcohol reading is below the legal limit?
Show answer
Yes, if there is evidence that alcohol left them unable to control the vehicle properly
The limit is not a safe allowance. A driver can still be prosecuted below it if alcohol has made them unfit to control the vehicle.
-
On a first conviction for driving under the influence, what is the minimum driving disqualification?
Show answer
2 years
A first-time offender is disqualified for at least 2 years, on top of a fine and possible jail. A second offence brings at least 5 years, and a third a lifetime ban.
-
Which of these is an offence while your car is moving?
Show answer
Holding your phone in your hand to dial a number
Holding a mobile device while operating it in a moving vehicle is illegal. Hands-free use and a mounted phone are allowed, though a distracted driver can still be charged with careless driving. If you need to use the phone, stop somewhere safe first.
-
How do the 2026 amendments change the mobile phone offence for drivers?
Show answer
Simply holding a mobile device in your hand while the vehicle is moving becomes an offence, even if you aren't operating it
Police will no longer need to prove you were operating the device; holding it while moving is enough. Mounted devices remain allowed, as does holding a phone while the vehicle is stationary.
-
Under the 2026 amendments, what is the new drug-driving offence?
Show answer
Driving with a specified controlled, psychoactive or intoxicating substance in your blood, whatever the amount
The new offence is based on the drug being present in a blood sample, so no particular quantity or visible impairment has to be shown. There is a defence for prescribed medication taken by someone who didn't know it could impair their driving.
-
Below what height must a passenger be secured in an approved child restraint, such as a child seat or booster seat?
Show answer
1.35 metres
The rule depends on height, not age: anyone under 1.35 m must be properly secured in an approved child restraint or booster. It is the driver's responsibility, and failing to do so carries demerit points.
-
An adult passenger in the back seat of your car isn't wearing a seat belt. Under the demerit points schedule, who can be penalised?
Show answer
You, the driver, for failing to make sure every passenger is belted
Everyone in the vehicle should be belted up, and the driver is responsible for making sure they are. The schedule lists the driver's failure to ensure every passenger wears a seat belt as a demerit-point offence.
-
Since 1 January 2026, how many demerit points does a car driver get for exceeding the speed limit by up to 20 km/h?
Show answer
6
Speeding penalties rose on 1 January 2026, and exceeding the limit by up to 20 km/h now carries 6 demerit points instead of 4. Each higher speeding band also carries more points than before.
-
Running a red light and using a mobile phone while driving each carry how many demerit points?
Show answer
12
Failing to obey traffic light signals and using a mobile communication device while driving are both 12-point offences in the current schedule, among the heaviest that can be compounded.
-
What extra penalty applies when you commit specified offences, such as speeding or failing to give way to pedestrians, in a School Zone, Silver Zone or Friendly Street?
Show answer
2 extra demerit points and $100 more on the composition fine
These zones carry 2 additional demerit points and a composition fine $100 higher, capped at $500 in total. Friendly Streets were added to the scheme on 1 January 2026.
-
A new driver still in the one-year probation period reaches the demerit-point revocation threshold. What happens?
Show answer
Their licence is revoked, and they must retake the theory and practical tests to drive again
Probationary drivers do not get a suspension. Their licence is revoked, and they must pass the required tests again, which they may only retake one year after the revocation. The threshold is being lowered on 1 January 2027, so check the current figure.
-
How can a licence holder have their accumulated demerit points removed from their record?
Show answer
By committing no traffic offences for 12 months from the date of the last offence
Demerit points are wiped once you go 12 months without a traffic offence, counted from the date of your last one. The Traffic Police have said this incentive stays when the system is tightened in 2027.
-
A fully licensed (non-probationary) driver builds up enough demerit points to reach the suspension threshold for the first time. What is the consequence?
Show answer
Their licence is suspended for a set period, which can be shortened by completing the DIPS retraining course
A first suspension is for a fixed period, and passing the DIPS retraining course earns a shorter suspension. Repeat suspensions get progressively longer, and from a certain level the licence is revoked. The thresholds and periods change on 1 January 2027.
-
Which of these offences leads to prosecution in court rather than an offer of a composition fine?
Show answer
Reckless or dangerous driving
Reckless or dangerous driving is always dealt with in court and carries the heaviest demerit penalty, with possible jail and disqualification. The other offences listed can normally be settled with a composition fine.
-
Which driving abilities do alcohol and certain drugs weaken?
Show answer
Your judgement, concentration and reaction time
Alcohol and some drugs dull judgement, concentration and how quickly you react, even if you feel normal. That is why the only safe rule is not to drive after drinking.
-
How does being tired or having drunk alcohol affect your stopping distance?
Show answer
It increases your reaction time, so you travel further before you even start braking
Stopping distance is reaction distance plus braking distance. A tired or drinking driver takes longer to react, so the car covers more ground before the brakes are applied.
-
A police officer suspects you have been drinking before driving. What will you be required to do?
Show answer
Take a breath test
Driving under the influence of alcohol is an offence, and a driver suspected of it must undergo a breath test. Drink-driving cases go to court rather than being settled with a fine.
-
According to MHA, why is there no 'safe' number of drinks you can have before driving?
Show answer
Because alcohol affects each person differently, depending on things like gender, age, health and body composition
The same number of drinks can leave two people with very different alcohol levels. MHA advises drivers not to drink at all if they plan to drive.
-
For a first drink-driving conviction, what fine can the court impose?
Show answer
Between $2,000 and $10,000, and/or jail of up to 1 year
Drink driving is always dealt with in court. A first-time offender faces a fine of $2,000 to $10,000, up to a year in jail, or both, plus a minimum 2-year disqualification.
-
You take a legal medicine that leaves you unable to control your car properly, and you drive anyway. What is the legal position?
Show answer
You can still be charged, because driving while impaired by any drug, including medication, is an offence
MHA has made clear that a driver who is impaired by any drug, medication included, and cannot properly control the vehicle remains liable under the existing law. Check with your doctor and don't drive if a medicine affects you.
-
Which description fits the offence of careless driving?
Show answer
Driving without due care and attention, or without showing reasonable consideration for others on the road
Careless driving covers lapses in care and attention, or a lack of consideration for others. It can lead to demerit points or, where someone is hurt or killed, prosecution in court.
-
How does dangerous driving differ from careless driving?
Show answer
Dangerous driving is objectively dangerous driving that shows disregard for the safety of others
Careless driving is a lack of due care or consideration, while dangerous driving is driving in a manner that is objectively dangerous and disregards other people's safety. Dangerous driving carries heavier court penalties.
-
A car driver is caught failing to conform to a red traffic light and is offered a composition fine. How much is it?
Show answer
$400
The current schedule lists failing to conform to traffic light signals at 12 demerit points and a $400 composition fine for light vehicles such as cars. Heavy vehicles pay $500.
-
A driver is caught going 45 km/h over the speed limit. What follows?
Show answer
Prosecution in court and 18 demerit points
Exceeding the limit by more than 40 and up to 50 km/h carries 18 demerit points and is not compoundable; the driver is prosecuted in court.
-
How many demerit points does careless driving causing hurt carry?
Show answer
9
Careless driving that causes hurt carries 9 demerit points, more than careless driving that only endangers life (6 points). If the offence endangers pedestrians in a School Zone, Silver Zone or Friendly Street, 2 more points are added.
-
You drive along the shoulder of an expressway to get past a traffic jam. What penalty does this carry for a car driver?
Show answer
6 demerit points and a $200 composition fine
The shoulder is for emergencies, not for overtaking queues. Driving on it is listed at 6 demerit points with a $200 composition fine for light vehicles.
-
A driver has a past licence suspension on record. How can it be removed from their record?
Show answer
By going 24 months without any traffic offence after the last suspension
As a reward for good behaviour, previous suspensions are wiped if the licence holder commits no traffic offence for 24 months after the last suspension. They are then treated like a driver with no suspension history.
-
What reward does a vehicle owner with a clean driving record for 3 continuous years, and no insurance claims in that time, get?
Show answer
A discount on top of the usual No-Claim Bonus from participating insurers
Under DIPS, a clean 3-year record with no claims earns an extra discount beyond the No-Claim Bonus when renewing with participating insurers.
-
What can a first-time offender face for driving while their licence is suspended?
Show answer
Prosecution in court, with up to 2 years' jail and/or a fine of up to $5,000, plus disqualification
Driving under suspension is a court offence. A first offence can bring up to 2 years' jail, a fine of up to $5,000, or both, and the court can also disqualify the driver.
More topics
Explore COE Data
By Category