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.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS