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MOTC to raise drunk driving fines

The National Police Agency (NPA) has joined forces with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) in cracking down on drunk driving to enforce stricter standards and harsher penalties for offenders.

Under the current regulations, the legal limit for a driver’s blood-alcohol level is 0.25mg per liter. If a driver’s blood-alcohol level exceeds that amount, he or she faces a fine of between NT$15,000 and NT$60,000, depending on the type of vehicle driven and the blood alcohol content measured.

Since fines were raised in January, vehicle fatalities caused by drunk driving have been reduced, Chen Po-hsun (陳柏壎), director of the NPA’s Traffic Department, said in Taipei yesterday.

The NPA believes even stricter regulation could further enhance traffic safety, he said.

The MOTC said new regulations will stipulate that drivers of scooters or motorcycles be fined at least NT$18,000 if a driver’s blood-alcohol level is found to exceed 0.25mg per liter.

Drivers of small-size motor vehicles will face a fine of at least NT$29,000, and drivers of large-size motor vehicles will be fined at least NT$33,500.

Under the new regulations, the ministry said, driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15mg per liter will constitute drunk driving for certain categories of drivers.

Those who have held a driver’s license for less than two years, those without a license and drivers of school vehicles and large-size motor vehicles carrying passengers or hazardous cargo will be fined at least NT$15,000 if they drive with a blood-alcohol content of more than 0.15mg per liter in a breathalyzer test.

No date has been set as to when the new measures will be in effect, but officials said the implementation is likely be in effect in the next one or two months.
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