LTA impounds 78 non-compliant AMDs to address rising number of fire incidents

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) impounded 78 non-compliant Active Mobility Devices (AMD) in an islandwide enforcement operation in public areas and housing estates from May 19 to May 23.

In a Facebook post on Friday, the authority said this is part of ongoing efforts to address and prevent the rising number of fire incidents involving non-compliant Power-Assisted Bicycles (PABs) and Personal Mobility Devices (PMDs) in residential areas.

AMDs include PABs, PMDs, and personal mobility aids.

Under the law, LTA can impound non-compliant PABs from any location, and non-compliant PMDs on public paths such as HDB common corridors and stairwells.

The authority said it will issue notices to owners of these registered AMDs which were seized.

It added that PABs and e-scooters must be registered with it, and owners of unregistered devices can contact LTA for verification and investigation.

Members of the public are reminded to only purchase and use devices and parts, including batteries, from original manufacturers or authorised retailers.

It is an offence to use non-compliant devices, and one may be fined up to $10,000, or face a jail term of up to six months, or both.

On May 14, two people were taken to hospital after a fire in a Toa Payoh HDB flat.

Preliminary investigations by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) indicated the fire likely originated from a PMD battery.

According to the SCDF annual report released in February, the total number of fires involving AMDs rose from 55 in 2023 to 67 in 2024. Out of the 67, 44 of the AMD fires were in residential areas.

lim.kewei@asiaone.com

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