More than half of those involved in traffic accidents leading to injury or death in Taipei over the past three years were not registered residents of the city, the Taipei Department of Transportation said last week.
Forty-two percent of those involved in accidents were registered in Taipei, while 58 were not, including 34 percent registered in New Taipei City, 4 percent in Taoyuan, 2 percent in Keelung City and 18 percent elsewhere, it said.
After hearing the department’s presentation in a meeting on traffic safety, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) asked if the city’s traffic signals were simply unfriendly to drivers from other cities and counties.
To identify the cause of the disproportionate number of accidents involving people from outside Taipei, the department should work with the Central Police University and other academic institutions, he said.
Those who have lived in urban environments for a long time are usually familiar with traffic signals, while those from outside Taipei might not be, Ko said, adding that this might be the cause of many accidents.
In response, department Director Chen Hsueh-tai (陳學台) said that traffic signals and road marking in Taipei are the same as those in other cities and counties in Taiwan.
Instead, the reason for the disproportionate number of accidents by outsiders might be that the drivers “were unfamiliar with the roads and intersections in the city,” Chen said, adding that there are many one-way streets in Taipei and intersections where left turns are prohibited.
“Drivers need to be cautious whenever they are in a new city,” Chen said, adding that the department would work with experts to address the issue.
Young motorcyclists aged 18 to 25 accounted for most accidents in the city, regardless of whether they were residents, the department said.
The top three causes of accidents were failing to yield to other vehicles, failing to pay attention to road conditions and changing lanes without signaling, the department said.
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