The police yesterday began a program targeting drivers who fail to stop amid a rise in pedestrian deaths at intersections over the past few years.
The one-month campaign to enhance transportation safety at key intersections nationwide was launched by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and the Ministry of the Interior (MOI).
Statistics from the transportation ministry showed that 2,865 people died within 30 days after being in a traffic accident last year, up from 2,780 in 2018, MOTC Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told a news conference in the Ximending (西門町) area’s 6th Square (6號廣場) in Taipei.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Sixty percent of those killed were involved in accidents at intersections, Lin said.
The data showed that 458 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents last year, of which 209 were at intersections, he said.
“Many of those killed were elderly pedestrians, who because of physical limitations are often slow to cross the street,” he said.
“Also, there is an increased rate of smartphone use while crossing and drivers are distracted by screens on their dashboards,” he said.
MOI Minister Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said that the purpose of the nationwide crackdown is to enhance road safety, and strict enforcement of the law and penalties are the only means to that end.
The police would continue to enforce traffic regulations once the one-month campaign is over, Hsu said.
Shortly after the ministers finished highlighting the urgency of improving road safety, a black van was rear-ended by a sedan nearby.
No injuries were immediately reported.
The National Police Agency said that officers would be deployed at major intersections across the nation.
They would focus on drivers and motorcyclists who do not yield to pedestrians, with fines ranging from NT$1,200 to NT$3,600, it said.
Motorists and riders who run red lights face fines of NT$1,800 to NT$5,400, while the sanctions are NT$600 to NT$1,800 for turning right on a red light. Pedestrians who do not use a crossing face NT$300 fines, it said.
Vehicles must remain at least 3m, about the width of a normal lane, from pedestrians on a crossing to be deemed to have yielded, the police agency said.
When officers are directing traffic, drivers and riders must comply with instructions to yield, it said.
Officers would stop vehicles that do not yield to pedestrians, inform the driver that they have contravened traffic regulations and impose a fine, it said.
If a vehicle does not stop, video footage would be used to issue penalties, it said.
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
RSS