Passengers sitting in the backseat of a car will soon be required by law to wear seat belts and will be fined a maximum of NT$6,000 for failing to do so.
The legislature yesterday approved an amendment to the Act Governing Punishments for Violations of Road Traffic Regulations (道路交通管理處罰條例) that will empower authorities to fine passengers in the backseat who fail to buckle up.
The regulation states that the driver of the vehicle would be fined NT$1,500 when a passenger in the backseat is not wearing a seat belt, with the fine rising to between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000 on freeways and expressways.
Passengers refusing to follow a driver’s instructions to buckle up would have to pay the fine.
Department of Railways and Highways Director-General Chen Yen-po (陳彥伯) told a press conference after the legislative meeting that the regulations would take effect following a three-month public education campaign and approval by the Presidential Office.
A grace period for children and pregnant women would be extended to up to 12 months, Chen said.
The need to ensure that every passenger in a car wears a seat belt came to the attention of the public and lawmakers after the death of Sun Yat-sen’s (孫逸仙) granddaughter Nora Sun (孫穗芬) in a car accident earlier this year.
Police determined that she was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it