Residents will soon be able to rest easy knowing that the number of home fires and PMD accidents ccould soon dwindle, as the LTA has announced on its Twitter page that the devices will now be considered controlled goods.

The new restrictions come as part of the Small Motorised Vehicles (Safety) Bill, passed on 26 May 2020.

Labelling the devices as controlled goods mean that a permit will be necessary for their import into Singapore from 28 June 2021 onwards. The LTA states that this will help stem the inflow of non-compliant devices and improve fire and path safety for all.

Imported devices will, from now on, have to meet the locally imposed width, weight, and speed standards, as well as the UL2272 and EN1594:2017 international standards to PMDs and PABs respectively.

Offenders may be fined up to $5,000, or jailed up to six months, or both for the first offence, with repeat offenders possibly facing higher penalties.

This latest move against errant PMD users comes after the recently announced imposition of mandatory tests for all PMD and e-scooter users, announced on 30 April 2021.