On Tuesday, an intercity bus driver was filmed by a passenger as he peeled a pomelo while driving at high speed, steering the bus only with his elbows. The video came less than a month after six people died in a tour bus accident in Kaohsiung after the driver took his attention off of the road to search for wet wipes.
In February, 33 people were killed as a bus flipped over when the driver lost control on the exit ramp of a freeway in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港). Subsequent investigation showed that the driver had been working an excessive number of hours and had not been given proper rest.
All of these incidents stem from a general lack of awareness about the importance of traffic safety.
The government is aware of the need for change — demonstrated by the introduction in May of mandatory road tests, in addition to written and closed-course tests, for new drivers — but stricter testing alone will not resolve the issue.
The pervasiveness of unsafe driving maneuvers — such as turning before oncoming traffic and passing when it is unsafe to do so — is symptomatic of a general mind-set of seeing driving as a competitive engagement. More must be done to promote a culture of safe driving practices, a culture where drivers yield to others and engage in safe driving practices of their own volition.
Improving the driving culture will take time, but it can be done by implementing a few key changes.
The first change should be to improve the enforcement of traffic regulations. Part of the police force needs to be assigned to active traffic patrol. They would patrol the streets, fining drivers for violations such as weaving in and out of lanes or racing, failing to signal when turning or changing lanes, speeding, failing to stop at red lights and stop signs, and making unsafe turns. Police should set up checkpoints more frequently to check for drunk driving and unlicensed drivers.
The second change should be to implement a graduated driver licensing program similar to those used in many nations. First-time licensees would have limitations placed on their licenses that would be gradually lifted and eventually removed through subsequent testing at specified intervals — typically once a year for two to three years — provided that the driver has committed no serious traffic violations. The restrictions would include limits such as not being permitted to drive with passengers or during late-night hours.
The third change should be to improve driver education and to implement mandatory driver training courses for new drivers. Taiwanese driver education is limited to a small instructional video that licensees are required to watch after successfully completing their practical test. There is no test following the video and most new drivers do not pay attention to it. To be taken seriously, the video’s content needs to be part of a several-hour course that includes better interaction with the licensees.
These changes would have a considerable impact on driving culture over time, but in the interim, the government needs to be particularly vigilant in addressing the ills of the professional driving industries.
There is a particular urgency for change in industries where the drivers spend so much time behind the wheel, where many of the drivers are older, and where the size of the vehicles often means that accidents result in more fatalities — particularly in those involving passenger vehicles.
Professional drivers should be well-supervised and strictly disciplined for speeding and distracted driving, but they must also receive proper rest and should not be encouraged to drive when tired. Their vehicles must also be properly maintained and held to strict safety standards.
A culture of safe driving practices can and must be realized through the authorities’ unwavering commitment.
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and