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Traffic law to be changed

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday announced that it will amend 32 articles of the Road Traffic Management and Punishment Law (道路交通管理處罰條例), according to a local newspaper report.

The amendments are reported to include the addition of regulations to disallow holders of only car drivers licenses to ride small motorbikes or scooters, the relaxation of regulations for life-long bans on holding a drivers license, and the determination of increased punishments for serious speed-limit violations.

As for less serious violations, the report said that the fine for making a right-turn on a red light will be halved, from between NT$1,800 and NT$5,400 to between NT$900 and NT$2,700. The punishment for accidents causing less serious injuries will also be cut.

According to the report, the draft amendment is expected to be submitted for legislative review before the end of this month.

The fine for exceeding the speed limit by more than 50kph will increase from between NT$1,200 and NT$2,400 to between NT$6,000 and NT$24,000, the report said.

It also stated that car owners' responsibility for their vehicles will be increased, and that mismanagement may lead to the car's registration being suspended for three months.

At the moment, drivers not paying their traffic fines may have their drivers license or car registration suspended. Traffic authorities were reported as saying that this system contains loopholes and that they would prefer to have such cases submitted to the administrative authorities for collection.

The report further stated that, due to the great difference between driving a car and riding a motorcycle or scooter, drivers holding only a drivers license that are caught riding a motorcycle or scooter will be fined between NT$1,800 and NT$3,600.

The draft reportedly also abolishes punishment for installing equipment to detect radar. If, however, a speeder is found to have such a detector installed, the report continues, two points will be added to the driver's traffic-violation points total and the detector will be confiscated. If the driver accumulates more than six traffic-violation points within a six-month period, the driver's license will be suspended for a period of one month.

The report states that the regulations for the life-long ban on holding a drivers license will be relaxed. Drivers who have caused someone's death will now be sentenced to a 12-year or longer suspension of their drivers license.
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