The Directorate-General of Highways introduced a sticker yesterday that puts the onus on passengers sitting in back seats of taxis to fasten their seat belts or pay a fine.
According to a new law that took effect on Aug. 1, taxi drivers will be fined between NT$1,500 and NT$6,000 if their rear seat passengers are found not wearing seat belts and they were not informed before their ride of the necessity of using a seat belt.
There is a grace period — until Feb. 1 next year — before violators are penalized.
Photo: CNA, Directorate General of Highways
However, if passengers are informed by the driver to buckle up, but they decide not to, then the passengers would face a fine of NT$4,500, the agency said.
The new stickers, which read “Buckle Up or Pay Up,” were designed primarily to put the responsibility of wearing a seat belt when riding in taxis in the hands of the passenger.
The agency is recommending that taxi drivers adhere the stickers to the paneling facing the front passenger’s seat, as well as on the back of the front-seat headrests so they can be easily spotted.
By placing the stickers in those places, the drivers would meet their responsibility to inform the passengers of the law, the agency said.
The issue of wearing seat belts in the backseat gained national attention when Nora Sun (孫穗芬), a granddaughter of Republic of China founding father Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙), was killed in a freeway car accident in January. She was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
Former Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Chen Chao-lung (陳朝龍) first proposed the amendment to the Act Governing Punishments for Violations of Road Traffic Regulations (道路交通管理處罰條例) in 2006 after Shaw Hsiao-ling (邵曉鈴), the wife of Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) was severly injured in a crash on a freeway near Tainan.
Shaw, who had not been wearing a seat belt, was thrown from a minivan, and lost her spleen and part of her left arm as a result of the accident.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS