Prosecutors in Hualien County are to charge a taxi driver with offenses against public safety and negligence after he allegedly drove his vehicle when drunk and caused an accident that killed two cyclists.
The fatal accident occurred on Saturday morning, with police officers apprehending taxi driver Chen Chien-feng (陳建峰), 38, who was transferred to the Hualien District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday for questioning.
Video footage showed Chen driving his taxi at high speed southbound on the Suao-Hualien Highway when the vehicle swerved out of control and plowed sideways into oncoming traffic. The vehicle allegedly hit two men on bicycles riding north.
One cyclist was found lying in the middle of the road and the other was found on the roadside. The victims were taken by ambulance to a local hospital, but were pronounced dead shortly after.
A witness at the scene said the taxi appeared to be going faster than 100kph, which meant there was no chance for the cyclists to take evasive action.
When police arrived, the driver tried to run away and appeared to be in an incoherent state, the witness added.
Tests showed the driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.79 milligrams per liter (mg/L), which is much higher than the legal limit of 0.15mg/L.
Police officers found four empty cans of beer in the taxi, indicating the driver might have been drinking while at the wheel.
The two cyclists were a former sales manager for a computer company, surnamed Liao (廖), and a university student surnamed Chen (陳).
Family and friends of the victims said they took a train to Hualien City and planned to ride their bicycles to Suao (蘇澳) on the highway.
In other news, in the early hours of yesterday, an elderly woman crossing a street in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城) was allegedly hit by a 32-year-old man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), who was riding a motorcycle.
The woman later died of her injuries, with tests showing Hsieh had blood alcohol level of 0.62mg/L.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers
RSS