To improve pedestrian safety, a set of draft amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act was passed during a Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) review board meeting on Jan. 28.
Pedestrians have absolute right of way when walking on a crosswalk, but accidents still happen from time to time that involve injuries or even deaths caused by vehicles not stopping or giving way to pedestrians. Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung said that the MOTC hopes to make traffic more human-oriented, and cars and motorcycles should give way to pedestrians at intersections. It has long been said that vehicles should “politely“ give way to pedestrians, but in fact vehicles should always stop to let pedestrians go first unless there is a “no pedestrians“ sign.
Lin asked for the reform to start from the three aspects of “people, vehicles and roads” by enforcing the law that demands yielding to pedestrians at intersections, reviewing road design specifications, and planning to increase penalties, so as to increase drivers’ awareness of the need to give way to pedestrians.
Photo: Liao Hsueh-ju, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報記者廖雪茹
Regarding the increase in fines, the amendment refers to the laws of the US, Japan, France and South Korea. Drivers who do not allow pedestrians to pass first will be fined NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, increased from the current NT$1,200 to NT$3,600. Those who cause injury or death will bear both civil and criminal liability as well as facing a fine of NT$7,200 to NT$36,000.
Having been passed at the MOTC review board meeting, the draft amendments will now be transferred to the Legislative Yuan for review.
(Translated by Lin Lee-kai, Taipei Times)
為強化行人安全，交通部一月二十八日部務會報通過「道路交通管理處罰條例」修正案。
行人走在行人穿越道上擁有絕對通行權，但車輛因未停讓行人導致的傷亡事故仍時有耳聞。交通部長林佳龍表示，交通部希望落實人本交通，所以在路口汽機車應當禮讓行人；過去都是說「禮讓」，但事實上依法規範的話，如果沒有禁止行人標誌，就應該優先停讓。
林佳龍要求從人、車、路三方項著手，推動路口停讓行人大執法、檢討道路設計規範、規劃加重處罰等方式，來提醒車輛要停讓行人。
在提高罰鍰方面，參考美日法韓法規，未停讓行人先行通過者，罰鍰從現行一千兩百元至三千六百元，提高為一千兩百元至六千元；因而致人受傷或死亡者，除民刑事責任外，還可處七千兩百元至三萬六千元。
「道路交通管理處罰條例」修正草案在交通部務會報上通過後，將報行政院續轉立法院審議。
（自由時報記者鄭瑋奇、陳炳宏）
Computex, Asia’s biggest electronics conference, kicked off Monday in Taipei, and as in years past drew industry chieftains from Nvidia Corp.’s Jensen Huang and Qualcomm Inc.’s Cristiano Amon to Young Liu of Foxconn, which makes the bulk of the world’s iPhones and Nvidia servers. But while last year’s event was a celebration of the post-ChatGPT AI boom, executives this time are likely grappling with the uncertainty of the Trump administration’s effort to reshape the global trade order — disrupting a decades-old model for tech manufacturing. This year’s exhibition will of course feature the hardware required to bring artificial intelligence to life.
For many people, allergies are an all-too-familiar annoyance. The constant sneezing, itching, and watery eyes are just a few clear signs of allergies, which is a surprisingly common condition affecting millions worldwide. But what exactly triggers these reactions, and how can we cope with them? Allergies arise from a misunderstanding between our immune system and seemingly harmless substances. Under normal circumstances, the immune system acts as our body’s personal bodyguard, diligently identifying and eliminating threats like viruses and bacteria. However, in individuals with allergies, the immune system mistakenly identifies certain substances, called allergens, as invaders. This triggers a reaction, leading to
A: South Korean supergroup BTS member J-Hope, EXO member Xiumin and other various artists are set to tour Taiwan. B: Is J-Hope the first BTS member to visit as a solo singer? A: Yup, he’s going to stage two shows in Taoyuan over the weekend. B: All BTS fans, nicknamed “ARMY,” must be so happy. I wonder when the seven-member group can finally stage a comeback again. A: Well, the good news is the five members currently performing military service will all leave the army next month. So the fans’ long wait is about to end. A: 南韓天團防彈少年團BTS的J-Hope，和EXO的Xiumin等多位熱門歌手最近都要來台開唱。 B:
A: Apart from BTS’ J-Hope and EXO’s Xiumin, Hong Kong singer Eason Chan is holding six concerts in Kaohsiung. B: And versatile British musician Jacob Collier is visiting Taiwan for the first time, performing in New Taipei City tonight. A: US singer Lauv and rock band LANY will also stage individual shows in Kaohsiung next week. B: Plus, Singaporean singer JJ Lin will hold two concerts at the Taipei Dome in early June. A: Which show are you going to? A: 除了BTS的J-Hope和EXO的Xiumin，香港歌王陳奕迅正在高雄熱唱6場。 B: 而多才多藝的英國歌手雅各柯里爾首度訪台，今晚即將在新北開唱！ A: 美國歌手洛夫、搖滾樂團藍尼下週也分別在高雄演出。 B: 此外新加坡歌王林俊傑則將於6月初，首次挑戰台北大巨蛋嗨唱兩場。 A: 你想去聽誰的演唱會？ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
RSS