Lawmakers have proposed a legal amendment to significantly increase the maximum fine for reckless and aggressive driving on highways.
The proposed amendment would increase fines for drivers who travel in the wrong direction, and those who flash their headlights or use other means to force vehicles to give way to them.
The proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) would raise the maximum fine from NT$6,000 to NT$36,000 for drivers who overtake vehicles, make U-turns, reverse illegally or drive in the wrong direction on highways or exit ramps.
The changes were proposed due to an increasing number of incidents in which drivers turned against the flow of traffic after missing their exit and caused accidents in which other drivers were seriously injured, said Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠), one of the initiators of the amendment.
From 2018 to March, there were 665 reports of such incidents, Shen said, citing National Police Agency data.
The increase in fines should deter people from contravening the law and jeopardizing the safety of others, Shen said.
The amendment would also increase the fine for those found to repeatedly honk, flash their headlights, or use other means to force vehicles in their path to give way, from NT$24,000 to NT$36,000.
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