A petition on the government’s Policy Network Participation Platform for the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) to hold a weekly media briefing to address casualties in traffic accidents last week reached the threshold to be considered for a policy proposal.
A petition must be signed by more than 5,000 people within two months to qualify as a policy proposal.
As of Saturday, the petition had garnered 5,292 supporters, obligating the ministry to respond by Feb. 11.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
From January to July, more than 1,700 people died in traffic accidents, which is four times higher than those killed by COVID-19 and 61 times higher than those killed in the Taroko Express derailment in April, the petition read.
Traffic accidents, like an epidemic, have surged, causing deaths and severe injuries, but nobody has paid much attention to them, the petition said.
“On Nov. 7, the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), which limits traffic regulation breaches that can be reported to the police to 46 types. However, the amendment was perceived as the ministry’s punishment for people who try to raise questions,” the petition said.
The government should hold a weekly media briefing on casualties caused by traffic accidents, with the minister of transportation and communications presiding, the petition said.
Aside from total deaths and injuries that occur each week, the ministry must report the number of accidents in which victims were killed on the spot or died within 24 hours (A1-type accidents), as well as those in which victims sustained severe injuries or died after 24 hours (A2-type accidents), it said.
“In the weekly briefing, the ministry should explain why these deadly accidents happen and propose solutions. Government officials should answer all questions by the media,” it said.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that enhancing road safety is an important policy to the ministry.
“I have asked the ministry’s Road Traffic Safety Committee to hold a media briefing every month, starting this month. In addition to casualties, we will tell the public the reasons that led to the accidents and if local government officials have taken action to address them,” he said.
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