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.
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei