An increasing number of traffic fatalities involve people who fail to check the traffic situation before opening vehicle doors, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
Road Traffic Safety Committee data showed that the 2,476 such incidents recorded in 2021 led to 11 deaths and 2,793 injuries.
However, the number of incidents has remained stable over the past few years, the ministry said.
“Drivers or passengers illegally opening or closing a car door when making a stop or while parking” face fines of NT$1,200 to NT$3,600, Article 56-1 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) stipulates.
The committee said that legislators have in the past few years attempted to raise the fines, but there was no legislative majority for such a move.
The ministry said there were no plans to amend the act, as people causing deaths or injury when illegally opening vehicle doors also face criminal charges.
Safely opening and closing vehicle doors is part of driving school curricula, and those who fail to do so during their license test would have points deducted, the ministry said.
Committee Executive Secretary Wu Mu-fu (吳木富) said that drivers passing a parked vehicle that suddenly opens its door have little time to react.
People should check their rearview mirror and turn their head to see whether there is oncoming traffic before opening the door of their vehicle when it is parked on the roadside, Wu said.
People should open the door slightly and look for oncoming traffic before fully opening it, he added.
Taiwan Traffic Safety Association deputy chairman Lin Chih-hsueh (林志學) said that the government should change the requirements for roadside parking spaces to make them safer.
The government should also increase safety for scooters, as dedicated lanes are usually right next to roadside parking spaces, he said.
Drivers should park their vehicles as close as possible to the curb, he said, adding that most parking spaces are 2.3m wide, while most vehicles are less than 2m wide.
Scooter riders should avoid the outer edge of the scooter lane to lower the risk of crashing into a suddenly opened vehicle door.
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
DIPLOMACY: It is Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo’s first visit to Taiwan since he took office last year, while Eswatini’s foreign minister is also paying a visit A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today. The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility
RSS