An inflow of traffic from Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) has caused Minquan E Road in the neighboring Songshan District (松山) to become a hot spot for severe accidents, Taipei Police Department data showed.
From January to August, police recorded 142 traffic accidents leading to death or injury along the road, making it the route with the greatest number of severe accidents in the city, the data showed.
Minquan W Road — infamous for the “waterfall” of scooters that builds up during the morning rush hour in the eastbound direction — had the second greatest number of severe traffic accidents, 138 in the January-to-August period, the data showed
The third greatest number of severe accidents occurred along Section 5 of Zhongxiao E Road, where 131 incidents happened during the first eight months of this year, it showed.
Overall, the number of traffic accidents in the city involving scooters was greater during the eight-month period than it was during the same period last year, the data showed.
A total of 17,916 incidents were recorded, compared with 15,798 incidents over the same period last year. As a result of those incidents, more than 18,000 people sustained injuries — some fatal, the data showed.
During rush hour, many Neihu residents cross Minquan Bridge toward Songshan District, which causes a bottleneck for traffic and leads to accidents, said a researcher from National Chiao Tung University, who asked not to be named.
Similarly, Taipei Bridge in the morning rush hour becomes as a bottleneck for traffic entering Taipei from the western side of New Taipei City, the researcher said.
Of those injured or killed in scooter accidents in the first eight months of the year, 5,900 — or 33 percent of the total — were aged 18 to 25, the data showed.
“Many young people ride scooters at an excessive speed, even though they lack experience. In many cases, younger riders make sudden turns without using turn signals and end up crashing into someone,” the researcher said.
The top three causes of traffic accidents are failure on part of the riders to pay attention to the road, failure to yield to other motorists as required by traffic laws and improper lane changes, the researcher said.
“Riders should maintain a safe distance from cars. Riders in Taipei are often too close to the cars in front of them and have no time to react to sudden situations,” Taipei Police Traffic Division Captain Lin Kuang-hsien (林洸賢) said.
Lin urged riders to use turn signals at all times and to use their mirrors to pay attention to the traffic behind them when making turns and lane changes.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS