Sun, Jul 12, 2020 page2

• Drunk riders outnumber drunk motorists by far

  GREATER RISK: Studies in other countries have found that accidents involving riders are 35 times more likely to be fatal, Taipei City Hospital doctor Kuo Yan-chun said

  • By Yang Yuan-ting and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  Twice as many scooter and motorcycle riders were caught operating their vehicles under the influence of alcohol as drivers of other vehicles over the past four years, a study by Taiwan Against Drunk Driving (TADD) and Taipei City Hospital’s Songde branch found.

  Two-thirds of those found guilty of driving under the influence (DUI) were riders of two-wheeled vehicles, most of whom had consumed beverages with an alcohol content of less than 10 percent.

  Riders committing DUIs tended to be younger than drivers committing the offense, and most were single women, although drunk motorists were found to be more likely than drunk riders to reoffend in the same month, said study leader Huang Ming-chyi (黃名琪), a physician at the Songde branch’s Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment Department.

  The average age of drunk riders was 34, while the average age of drunk drivers was 42. Among the drunk riders, 51.2 percent had consumed beverages with an alcohol content of less than 10 percent before riding, while 45 percent of drunk drivers had consumed beverages with an alcohol content of 40 percent or more, said Songde branch physician Kuo Yan-chun (郭彥君), who helped conduct the study.

  Drivers in the study also tended to drink at or near their place of work, which might be the reason they were more likely to reoffend in a shorter time, she said.

  Drivers might also feel safer on the road than riders, which might cause them to underestimate the risks of drunk driving, she said.

  Studies in other countries have found that accidents involving riders are 35 times more likely to be fatal, Kuo added.

  Past efforts to combat DUIs in Taiwan focused mostly on drivers, which might have led to the relatively higher number of offenses among riders, she said.

  The authorities should focus more on combating DUIs among riders, who not only have a greater risk of physical harm or death, but also typically have less financial means and are less capable of shouldering the cost of an accident resulting from a DUI, Kuo said.

  Offenders often think that they are just “tipsy,” but still able to ride or drive, which puts them at greater risk, TADD member Chien Li-chien (簡立建) said.

  In a study he conducted 20 years ago, Chien found that 27 percent of people hospitalized after a crash had alcohol in their blood, he said, adding that he hopes the pervasive habit of drinking alcohol will change.

  Programs to help people break alcohol addiction are not covered by the National Health Insurance system, and county and municipal governments must generally fund their own programs, Huang said, calling on the central government to fund more programs.
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