Statute Details
- Title: Road Traffic (Exemption from Sections 10(1) and 27(2)) Order 2013
- Act/Instrument Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Act Code: RTA1961-S143-2013
- Authorising Act: Road Traffic Act (Chapter 276)
- Authorising Power: Section 142 of the Road Traffic Act
- Legislative Number: S 143/2013
- Enacting Formula: Made by the Minister for Transport
- Citation: Road Traffic (Exemption from Sections 10(1) and 27(2)) Order 2013
- Deemed Commencement: 25 February 2013
- Date Made: 12 March 2013
- Key Provision(s): Section 1 (Citation and commencement); Section 2 (Exemption)
- Status: Current version as at 27 March 2026 (per the legislation record)
- Related Legislation (as referenced): Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) Rules (R 31); Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2013 (G.N. No. S 142/2013)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Road Traffic (Exemption from Sections 10(1) and 27(2)) Order 2013 is a targeted exemption instrument made under the Road Traffic Act (Chapter 276). In plain terms, it temporarily carves out a specific class of vehicles from certain statutory requirements in the Road Traffic Act. The exemption is not broad; it is tightly linked to the quota system for motor vehicles and to a particular administrative timeline involving certificates of entitlement.
The Order addresses a situation where, for vehicles within the quota system, the Registrar cancelled registration after the expiry of a certificate of entitlement (valid for five years), but later renewed the certificate of entitlement following an application made within a defined window. The Order ensures that, during this transitional period, the affected vehicles are not treated as if they must comply with particular obligations in sections 10(1) and 27(2) of the Road Traffic Act “insofar as it relates to the keeping of the vehicle” (for section 10(1)).
Practically, this kind of exemption is often used to prevent unfair or unintended consequences that can arise when regulatory rules change or when administrative actions (cancellation and renewal) occur around the time of amendments to the quota system rules. Instead of requiring vehicle owners to meet statutory conditions that would otherwise apply, the Order provides legal continuity for vehicles whose entitlement status was corrected through the renewal process.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Section 1 (Citation and commencement) is straightforward. It provides the short title of the Order and states that it is deemed to have come into operation on 25 February 2013. This “deemed” commencement is legally significant: it means the exemption applies from that date even though the Order was made later (on 12 March 2013). For practitioners, this affects how one assesses compliance and liability for events occurring between 25 February 2013 and the date the Order was made.
Section 2 (Exemption) is the core operative provision. It sets out a conditional exemption for “any vehicle” that falls within a particular category referenced in rule 3(1)(c) of the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) Rules (R 31). While the extract does not reproduce rule 3(1)(c), the reference indicates that the exemption is limited to quota-system vehicles of a defined type or class.
The exemption applies only where two time-bound and action-specific events occur:
- First condition (cancellation upon expiry): The Registrar must have cancelled the vehicle’s registration between 25 February 2013 and 13 March 2013 (both dates inclusive) upon the expiry of a certificate of entitlement. The certificate of entitlement is described as being valid for five years.
- Second condition (renewal after application): On or after 13 March 2013, the Registrar must have renewed the certificate of entitlement pursuant to an application for renewal made on or before 19 March 2013 (or such other date as the Registrar may specify in any particular case). The renewal must be under the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) Rules as amended by the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2013 (G.N. No. S 142/2013).
Only when both conditions are satisfied does the exemption operate. This “double trigger” design is important for legal certainty: it prevents the exemption from being used for vehicles whose registration was cancelled but whose entitlement was not renewed within the specified administrative framework, or whose renewal was not processed under the amended quota rules.
Scope of the exemption (what is being exempted): Section 2 provides that the qualifying vehicles “shall be exempt from sections 10(1) (insofar as it relates to the keeping of the vehicle) and 27(2) of the Act.” This indicates that the exemption is not necessarily from the entirety of section 10(1) or section 27(2), but from those parts relevant to keeping the vehicle (for section 10(1)). The phrase “insofar as it relates to the keeping of the vehicle” suggests that section 10(1) may contain multiple elements, and the exemption is limited to the keeping-related aspect.
Although the extract does not set out the text of sections 10(1) and 27(2) of the Road Traffic Act, the legal effect is clear: for the specified vehicles, the statutory consequences that would otherwise follow from non-compliance with those provisions are suspended or removed. In practice, this would allow the vehicle to be kept (and likely used in the ordinary course) without breaching the relevant statutory requirements, provided the vehicle meets the conditions in section 2.
Finally, the Order includes a formal “Made this 12th day of March 2013” signature block, confirming it was executed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, on behalf of the Minister for Transport, consistent with Singapore legislative practice for subsidiary legislation.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
This Order is extremely concise and consists of two sections:
- Section 1: Citation and commencement (deemed operation from 25 February 2013).
- Section 2: Exemption (defining the qualifying vehicles and the statutory provisions from which they are exempt).
There are no schedules, definitions sections, or additional parts in the extract. The operative complexity is therefore contained within section 2’s cross-references to other rules (the quota system rules) and within the detailed administrative timeline (cancellation dates, renewal dates, and application cut-off dates).
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Order applies to vehicles that fall within the category described by rule 3(1)(c) of the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) Rules (R 31). It is not drafted as a general exemption for all vehicle owners; rather, it is vehicle-class-based and condition-based.
In terms of real-world stakeholders, the exemption is most relevant to registered vehicle owners (and potentially their insurers, financiers, or fleet operators) whose vehicles were affected by the expiry of a certificate of entitlement and subsequent administrative cancellation and renewal. It also concerns the Registrar (and the administrative processes of the Land Transport Authority / relevant licensing authority) because the exemption is triggered by specific Registrar actions: cancellation between 25 February 2013 and 13 March 2013, and renewal on or after 13 March 2013 following an application made on or before 19 March 2013 (or another date specified in a particular case).
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the Order is short, it is legally significant because it addresses a narrow but potentially high-impact regulatory problem: what happens when a vehicle’s registration is cancelled due to entitlement expiry, but the entitlement is later renewed under amended rules and within a specified application window. Without an exemption, the affected vehicles could face legal non-compliance during the period between cancellation and renewal, potentially exposing owners to enforcement action or administrative complications.
From a practitioner’s perspective, the Order provides a clear legal basis to argue that certain statutory requirements should not apply to qualifying vehicles. This can be crucial in disputes involving enforcement, prosecution decisions, or administrative determinations about whether a vehicle was lawfully “kept” during the relevant period. The exemption’s linkage to exact dates (25 February 2013, 13 March 2013, and 19 March 2013) means that factual chronology will be central to any application of the Order.
The Order also demonstrates how Singapore’s legislative framework uses subsidiary legislation to manage transitional regulatory effects when the quota system rules are amended. By referencing the Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2013 (G.N. No. S 142/2013), the exemption effectively aligns the Road Traffic Act’s general requirements with the updated quota system administration. This reduces the risk of “gap” periods where the law might otherwise operate harshly or inconsistently with the intended regulatory outcome.
Related Legislation
- Road Traffic Act (Chapter 276) — in particular sections 10(1) and 27(2), and the enabling provision in section 142.
- Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) Rules (R 31) — in particular rule 3(1)(c) (the vehicle category referenced in section 2).
- Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Quota System) (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2013 — G.N. No. S 142/2013 (the amended rules under which renewal must be made for the exemption to apply).
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Road Traffic (Exemption from Sections 10(1) and 27(2)) Order 2013 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.