The Legislative Yuan’s Organic Laws and Statutes Bureau has called for more stringent management and enhanced education about traffic regulations for electric bicycle users due to a rising number of bicycle accidents each year.
Current regulations consider electric bicycles — which the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) defines as two-wheeled vehicles powered mainly by electricity that have a maximum speed of 25kph, and weigh 40kg without a battery or 60kg with a battery — as slow-moving vehicles, exempting their users from having a driver’s license, vehicle license plate or compulsory vehicle liability insurance, the bureau said in a report on Thursday last week.
The number of incidents involving electric bicycles has been rising annually, from 826 cases in 2014 that resulted in four deaths and 1,179 injuries to 2,330 cases in 2018 that caused 10 deaths and 3,292 injuries, it said.
In Taiwan, there are at least 400,000 electric bicycles, which have become a popular means of transportation for older people, teenagers and migrant workers, because such vehicles have no license or age requirements, the bureau said.
However, lax regulations have led to common traffic infractions by electric bicycle riders, such as riding on the wrong side of the road, failing to yield to other vehicles or pedestrians who have the right of way, making illegal left turns and ignoring signs or instructions by traffic controllers, it said.
Some people have even modified their bicycles to achieve a higher maximum speed, it added.
About 20 percent of casualties in electric bicycle accidents are aged between 15 and 19, most of whom are high-school students aged 16 or 17, the bureau said, citing Ministry of Transportation and Communications data.
Academics have expressed concern that a lack of license plate registration will turn electric bicycles into a loophole in road safety, it said.
The legislature has amended the act to cover electric bicycles, giving police the legal basis to issue fines to riders for infractions such as making illegal modifications, exceeding the speed limit or riding without a helmet, the bureau said.
Plans are being drafted to make license plate registration and vehicle liability insurance for electric bicycles mandatory, it said.
The bureau added that it is considering giving electric vehicles the right of way to better determine liability when an accident occurs.
While the responsibility of maintaining traffic safety falls on every road user, traffic regulations related to electric bicycles should be included in each stage of education, the bureau said, adding that lectures or animations could be used to raise awareness.
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