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Over the years, we’ve seen our fair share of sports cars racing and speeding on the roads, especially late at night. While most of these drivers are experienced and often race without injury, it is not all that uncommon for them to get involved in a major accident. With one wrong move, these drivers might find themselves crashing their precious supercar beyond salvation. This then begs the question – Should there be a new class of license for sports cars? What is a sports car? Once used to describe two-seater cars with a soft top that are eligible for competition in the postwar era, the definition behind the term ‘sports car’ today seems to have faded into a rather grey area. For most consumers, a ‘sports car’ might be used to refer to any car that was manufactured by luxury automobile companies such as Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini. While these brands are famous for their sports cars, Asian automakers like Honda, Toyota and Nissan are often referred to as 'bread and butter', and not deemed with the same high regard (even though these brands produced some legendary sports cars like the NSX, Supra and GT-R) For the sake of this article, we shall define a ‘sports car’ as cars with a high-powered engine of more than 200 bhp, and generally seats two people. This includes a wide array of offerings, such as the BMW Z4, Porsche 718 Boxster and Alpine A110. More implementations for sports cars in SG Following the tragic Tanjong Pagar accident earlier this year, the government has installed more safety features to decrease speeding incidents along long stretches of roads. According to the Straits Times, road dividers, traffic lights and pedestrian crossings will be implemented. The Traffic Police has stepped up patrols and enforcement in the area as well to deter and detect similar traffic offences. The accident occurred after a speeding white BMW M4 Coupe, a powerful vehicle that produces 510 bhp and 650 Nm of torque, crashed into a vacant shophouse unit and burst into flames. All five individuals in the car were killed. Call for a sports car license Although the Tanjong Pagar accident has been deemed to be an isolated incident in the area, there have been more instances of sports cars getting involved in crashes all over the island. Some of these include: As much as I love fast cars, the reality is that there is nothing in life that would prepare any driver to pilot a rear-wheel-drive performance car that puts out close to 500 bhp. No matter how many years of driving experience one has unless it’s been in a high-powered sports car, it is a whole different ball game when it comes to a Mustang or a Miata. Like pilot licenses, where multi-engine planes and seaplanes require extra training and are add-ons to a standard private license, there should be a special class of driving license should be implemented for these fast vehicles. Drivers of all ages should be better prepared if they want to drive a sports car. Just my two-cents worth. Please don't roast me. --- Thinking of selling your car? sgCarMart Quotz guarantees the highest selling price for your car. We’ll even give you $100 cash if you find a better offer elsewhere! Get a free quote to find out how much your car is worth today!

4 S’pore Laws To Know Effective From 1 Jan 2020, So You Won’t Kena Caught source: https://mustsharenews.com/singapore-laws-2020/ New Singapore Laws You Need To Obey From 1 Jan 2020 The whole “new year, new me” saying is inspirational and all, but not all new things are great to everyone. Take these 4 new Singapore laws for example, which take effect on 1 January 2020. E-scooter or PMD users and smokers in particular should take note, as most of these will affect you guys the most. 1. Minimum smoking age raised to 20 There was a time when we would boast to the world, Americans especially, that the minimum smoking and drinking age in Singapore were only 18. While the latter remains true, the former has actually been undergoing a continuous change. If you didn’t know, the government had raised the minimum age to buy, use, own, sell and distribute tobacco products to 19 in 2019. This lower limit will increase to 20 this year, before finally stopping at 21 in 2021. The progressive increase is to curb the incidence of underage smoking, which has become a major cause for concern. Individuals under 20 caught smoking, buying or possessing cigarettes from 1 Jan 2020 may face a fine of up to $300, so if that might be you, you should drop that cigarette now. 2. Jail time for being a fire hazard As if the laws aren’t harsh enough for smokers, still-burning cigarette butts found disposed irresponsibly may also land you in jail. Authorities are being stricter towards anyone who doesn’t extinguish and throw flammable items like cigarette butts properly. You can be a fire hazard as long as a fire happens within 60 minutes or a short distance from where you’ve thrown, placed, dropped or left anything that could start a fire. This new ruling falls under the Criminal Law Reform Act (CLRA) which Parliament had passed on 6 May 2019. Offenders face punishments ranging from a fine to imprisonment of up to 7 years, or both, depending on the severity of injuries that resulted. 3. Heavy fine or jail for breaking e-scooter footpath ban Being a PMD rider in Singapore is difficult now, what with all the restrictions that come with the relatively divisive new rules. Ever since the e-scooter ban on footpaths, the authorities have been stricter, sparing no chances for offenders. As soon as the grace period ended on 31 Dec 2019 and the new year began, Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers have been clamping down on errant riders. From 1 Jan 2020, those guilty of riding their e-scooters on footpaths may face a $2,000 fine and/or 3 months in prison. 4. Harsher punishments for crimes against minors & vulnerable victims Most significant of the new laws perhaps is the greater protection for vulnerable victims of exploitative crimes. Starting this year, amendments to the Penal Code will entail harsher punishments for crimes against minors and vulnerable victims. The changes are as follows: Making, distributing (including threats to distribute), possessing, and accessing voyeuristic recordings or intimate images is now a punishable crime. Non-consensual exposure of genitals in a physical or virtual space (such as sending intimate photos) is a punishable crime. Double punishments for those who exploit vulnerable victims like minors, domestic workers, or family members. A range of offenses against minors like sexual grooming and child abuse will also be thoroughly criminalised. Other punishable crimes such as doxxing and fraud are also on the list, which you can read in further detail here. Be aware of new Singapore laws Considering our strict laws, you can be sure that the Singapore government won’t go easy on people who break the above rules. You wouldn’t want to start the new year on the wrong footing, so take note of these new laws and remember them well. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.