Seventeen illegal taxi drivers were fined a total of NT$8.5 million (US$279,587) during a four-day nationwide crackdown that ended on Sunday, the Directorate-General of Highways said on Monday.
The highway authority launched the crackdown after a 60-year-old unlicensed taxi driver in central Taiwan apparently contracted COVID-19 from a passenger, a Taiwanese businessman based in China.
The driver later died and four of his relatives were also confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.
Cracking down on illegal taxi drivers has been a top priority of the directorate, the agency said, adding that on Wednesday last week, it instructed motor vehicle offices nationwide to intensify their efforts to curb illegal taxi services.
The offices on Thursday dispatched inspectors to key transport hubs, including airports, railway stations and bus stops, to look for illegal taxi drivers, it said.
The illegal taxi drivers who were caught would be punished in accordance with Article 77, Section 2 of the Highway Act (公路法) amid the nation’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it added.
The drivers would each be given the maximum NT$500,000 fine, while illegal taxi companies could face fines of up to NT$25 million, it said.
Legal taxi drivers can be easily recognized by their license plates which should have red lettering and numbers on a white background, the agency said.
The public is advised to use legal taxi services, as they follow the disease-prevention regulations, it said.
Ahead of the 228 Peace Memorial Holiday this weekend, the Freeway Bureau has urged drivers planning to use the nation’s freeways during the holiday to drive safely and heed traffic control measures.
The bureau said that 103 traffic accidents happened during the four-day 228 Peace Memorial Holiday in 2017, while 105 accidents occurred during the four-day holiday last year, adding that the holiday was just one day in 2018.
Analyses showed that the accidents were caused by drivers swerving in and out of traffic, as well as those who fail to maintain a safe following distance and heed the traffic ahead.
Research has shown that casualties in nighttime traffic accidents are two to three times those of daytime accidents, the bureau said.
If motorists need to drive at night, they should avoid driver fatigue by taking breaks in service areas and maintain a safe following distance, it added.
As many university students are to return to school after the holiday, drivers in central and southern Taiwan can avoid freeway congestion by taking the Sibin Expressway (Highway No. 61), the bureau said.
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