Revised traffic rules add emergency-vehicle demerit points

Amendments to the Road Traffic Act Enforcement Rules will introduce demerit points for obstructing emergency vehicles to speed dispatches.

The penalties cover drivers who interfere with an emergency vehicle's priority passage or use such a vehicle for non-emergency purposes. The amendment is intended to create conditions for fire engines, ambulances and other emergency vehicles to respond quickly and to ensure they are used for emergency purposes.

The rules also make explicit that demerit points for illegal parking and violations of the duty to drive safely apply to drivers of automobiles and motorized bicycles.

The amendments were promulgated Aug. 24, 2026. The rules take effect Jan. 1, 2027, while the new demerit-point rules take effect six months after publication.

The payment change permits cash, credit cards, debit cards and other methods, replacing a cash-only reference in the rules. That provision took effect on the publication date.

The revision also updates driver's-license renewal forms to reflect a renewal period running for six months before and six months after a driver's birthday. Other revised forms cover driving tests and training vehicles, and replace older medical terminology for schizophrenia and schizotypal conditions.