Starting this summer, drivers will need to have their on-board entertainment facilities interlocked with their car’s braking system before their vehicles can pass their annual inspections.
Under the Road Traffic Security Rules (道路交通安全規則) amended by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications at the end of 2011, car drivers are banned from watching or operating television or digital video players while driving. The ministry said the change was made amid growing concern that drivers would have difficulty concentrating on the road if they are watching TV while driving.
While the rules do not list fines for violations, the ministry said that drivers could be fined if they are deemed dangerous drivers.
Starting in July, vehicle inspection officers will check if on-board entertainment facilities are interlocked with the braking system, with the exception of global positioning system (GPS) units or TVs for backseat passengers. On-board TV screens should automatically shut down if the gearshift is in drive or reverse, the ministry said. The amendments also require car manufacturers to interlock the on-board entertainment facilities and braking system for new cars.
For cars manufactured before the amendments took effect, the ministry said it reached a consensus with manufacturers that the design of on-board entertainment devices could be changed for free if the facilities were part of the vehicles when they were sold. However, if car owners added the devices themselves, they will have to pay to alter the system.
In other news, the National Freeway Bureau estimated that about 2.8 million vehicles traveled on the freeways yesterday, with about 1.6 million vehicles in the northbound lanes. About 460,000 vehicles in both the northbound and southbound freeway lanes took advantage of the toll-free hours between 12am and 7am, three times the daily average.
The bureau said northbound traffic would be heavy today, and the high occupancy vehicle policy would be implemented on certain northbound sections of freeway Nos. 1, 3 and 5.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report. Under Japan’s security legislation,
RSS