Traffic penalties not fair
Recently, a driver who was forced to briefly cross the double yellow line to avoid hitting an illegally parked vehicle was reported to the police by someone and issued a NT$9,000 fine.
The case raised questions over a lack of proper judgement by the police in handling such situations.
It also highlights the long-standing conflict between Taiwan’s traffic regulations and actual road conditions, as well as the possible negative impacts of the civilian reporting system.
I once experienced a similar situation myself.
A delivery truck parked in front of my vehicle was illegally blocking the entire traffic lane, and my only options were to cross the double yellow line, stay put and call the police to deal with the situation or wait until the delivery driver was finished unloading before I could continue driving.
I opted to edge into the opposite lane and pass the truck, driving carefully and slowly, yet I still received a NT$9,000 fine for “illegally entering the oncoming traffic lane.”
In addition to being furious at the person who reported me, I struggled to understand how the police had failed to properly check such an absurd and poorly filmed video from the start.
The government has significantly relaxed its crackdowns on illegal parking, a move that has been regarded by some as a way of turning a blind eye to minor offenses and resulted in a major uptick of illegal parking incidents.
Meanwhile, law-abiding drivers who are forced to drive around illegally parked vehicles are the ones who end up racking up fines.
This discrepancy is not only unjust, but it has also led to major public doubts over the enforcement of traffic laws.
Taiwan’s road and traffic culture has long been constrained by inconsistencies between regulations and enforcement.
People often find themselves forced to choose between two bad options, yet receive no reasonable legal protections.
When a driver is compelled to commit a minor infraction out of concern for their own safety or to prevent severe traffic congestion, should there not be room for fact-based judgement and flexibility depending on the circumstances?
Many people who report other drivers lack proper understanding of traffic regulations, yet the police still impose fines based solely on their footage or photos, leading to several unnecessary administrative procedures and wrongful penalties.
Even if fines can be appealed and overturned successfully, there must be a system of accountability established to educate people who submit false reports and law enforcement officers responsible for issuing wrongful penalties.
The core of traffic safety lies in rationality and fairness.
When illegal parking is tolerated, while law-abiding drivers who are forced to avoid these illegally parked vehicles receive harsh punishments, the system itself is imbalanced.
If the government consistently fails to offer viable solutions to address the issue of illegal parking, yet simultaneously resorts to using automated enforcement methods to penalize drivers, the public would lose all trust in the law.
Mo Kei
Taipei
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