A total of 805 traffic tickets were handed out in Taipei City for violations of new traffic regulations in the first seven hours after they took effect Friday at midnight.
Taipei police fanned out in force across the city at midnight in an attempt to press home their determination to enforce the new regulations, which include the prohibition of cellphone use by motorists unless the phones are hands-free; and the requirement that drivers and front-seat passengers wear seat belts.
By 7am, 805 violators had been fined for breaking the new regulations, including 787 people for failing to wear their seat belts and 18 motorists for using their cellphones while driving.
Police pointed out that it is difficult to catch drivers using cellphones while behind the wheel, which may explain why phone-use violators accounted for only a small share of the total number of tickets handed out.
A spokesman for the Taipei City Police Headquarters said a total of 136 extra police officers were dispatched yesterday to set up road checks at 62 crossroads around the city to ensure that motorists comply with the new regulations.
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