The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a draft amendment that would regard driving a vehicle under the influence of narcotics as an “offense against public safety” with a maximum three-year sentence and NT$30,000 fine.
Tests for drivers suspected of being under the influence of narcotics would be based on urinalysis, regardless of whether a driver was operating a vehicle dangerously or was involved in an accident.
The Executive Yuan said its approval of the proposed amendment showed the government’s “zero tolerance policy toward narcotics, deterring drug users from operating motor vehicles in a way that causes danger to other people.”
Photo courtesy of the Changhua County Police Department
The draft amendment aims to address concerns that the code’s threshold for determining drug use in drivers is too limiting to be effective, officials said.
However, they assured that police officers would not conduct random drug testing on drivers, but would base decisions on individual cases or conditions, such as discovering narcotics or paraphernalia in vehicles.
Article 185-3 of the Criminal Code says: “A person who uses drugs, narcotics or similar substances that prevent a person from driving safely” could be charged with an “offense against public safety” and face a three-year sentence, with a possible NT$30,000 fine.
The amendment was drafted after public safety advocacy groups said that driving under the influence of drugs is as serious as drunk driving and should have its legal threshold lowered, officials said.
The draft amendment is to be forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for approval.
Additional reporting by Jason Pan
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
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
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
RSS