New traffic rules that were part of amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) passed by the Legislative Yuan in June are to take effect today.
Drivers ferrying children aged seven or under to and from school are exempt from observing a three-minute rule for temporary parking, although the rule does not include waiting time.
Previously, only disabled drivers were eligible for such waivers.
While drivers are still banned from parking at curbs where red lines are drawn, they would not be fined if they are ferrying children to and from school and only need to park temporarily, provided that they do not block traffic for other people or vehicles.
For drivers who fail to securely fasten goods and create road debris, as well as those carrying high-risk goods who do not drive in slow lanes, the maximum fine for the contravention was raised from NT$9,000 to NT$18,000.
The Directorate-General of Highways has published a pamphlet showing drivers how they can safely load and fasten goods to prevent them falling onto the roadway, and it has also scheduled a drill for Monday next week for all cargo transportation service operators.
In addition, the amendment states that behavior that contravenes the act should not be subject to legal ramifications if more than two months have passed since the actions occurred, although if parties liable for an accident have yet to be determined, the two-month period would begin only after the liability issues are settled.
In other developments, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications is considering bigger fines and increased criminal liability to curb tailgating, which continues to threaten road safety.
“We are studying the possibility of raising the maximum fine and suspending car license plates for a longer period of time for drivers found to have engaged in malicious tailgating. Those tailgating other drivers and causing personal injuries or deaths would face heavier criminal punishment as well,” Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said.
The ministry met with representatives from other government agencies on Nov. 13 to discuss the issue, with all participants agreeing that regulations should be amended so that tailgaters face tougher punishments.
Article No. 43 of the act states that drivers would be fined between NT$6,000 and NT$24,000 and prohibited from driving if they tailgate, change lanes without signaling or force other vehicles to give way through their inappropriate actions, while their license plates would be suspended for three months.
If drivers who have had their license plates suspended continue to tailgate, their license plates would be confiscated, the article states.
The Department of Railways and Highways said that the number of fines for tailgating are exceeded only by those set for drunk driving and trespassing railway crossings.
However, an increase in accidents caused by tailgating has led it to consider amending the regulations to specify heavier penalties, it said.
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