More than 600 people have been fined for riding bicycles while intoxicated since April, the National Police Agency (NPA) said yesterday.
The agency said the government began to address the problem of drunk cyclists following a rise in the use of bicycles for commutes.
Agency statistics showed that a total of 607 bike riders were fined between April 1 and Nov. 30.
Intoxicated bike riders face a fine of between NT$300 and NT$600, the agency said. Drunk drivers of motor vehicles — cars, motorcycles and electric vehicles — can be fined from NT$15,000 to NT$90,000, it added.
Cyclists thought to be intoxicated who decline to take a Breathalyzer test face a fine of NT$1,200, the agency said.
Suspected drunk drivers of motor vehicles who do so face a NT$90,000 fine, it added.
The results were announced as part of the joint campaign of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the NPA to enhance traffic safety nationwide.
The agency’s report indicated that 1,637 people died in category “A1” accidents — down from 1,751 from the same period last year. “A1” accidents are those in which victims die within 24 hours of the accidents occurrence.
Greater Kaohsiung led the nation with 205 people killed in such events.
Most victims are senior citizens who officials said fail to use pedestrian crossings.
The agency identified an increase in incidents caused by pedestrian violations, with the casualty rate rising to a total of 225 between January and last month this year from 214 in the same period last year.
The agency also found that about 47 percent of such accidents happened at intersections. About one-third of them occurred because pedestrians did not follow street-crossing signals, officials said.
Officials said that 64 percent of victims in such incidents were pedestrians over the age of 65. Drivers over 65 experienced similar rates of traffic incidents, they added.
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