Large motor vehicles not equipped with lateral protection devices are to incur fines of NT$12,000 to NT$24,000 after the legislature’s Transportation Committee gave preliminary approval to amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例).
The existing act requires large passenger buses and cargo trucks to have dashboard cameras and auxiliary visual devices.
However, motorcyclists often get entangled in the wheels of large vehicles during collisions, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said, adding that such accidents happen daily in Taiwan.
As a prevention measure, the amended act would mandate that large buses and trucks have lateral protection devices.
KMT Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) proposed an amendment that would require passengers as young as four years old to wear seatbelts on a bus.
The committee approved the two amendments yesterday morning after extensive negotiations.
Drivers of large vehicles whose lateral protection devices fail to function would be fined NT$9,000 to NT$18,000.
Drivers of large commercial vehicles who do not wear their seatbelts while driving would be fined NT$2,000.
If they carry passengers aged four or older who do not wear their seatbelts while on board, the drivers would be fined NT$3,000 to NT$6,000.
The amendments stipulate that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications should show commercial vehicle drivers the correct way to wear a seatbelt and inform them of the enforcement date.
Drivers should also be told about circumstances in which they are not subject to any penalty, the amendments state.
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