The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday announced a campaign against speeding, tailgating and driving without a license, while protesters outside accused the ministry of turning a deaf ear to their demands.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) told a news conference that the ministry targets a type of dangerous driving each quarter in a bid to change Taiwan’s road culture.
Law enforcement efforts against speeding, tailgating and driving without a license would be bolstered in conjunction with a public information campaign to promote safe driving, he said.
Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei Times
Additionally, the ministry is considering a draft amendment that would classify speeding in a 40kph zone as reckless driving, and increase the maximum fine for driving without a license and tailgating to NT$12,000 and NT$36,000 respectively, he said.
Traffic accidents result in 3,000 fatalities a year, 16 to 17 percent of whom are unlicensed drivers, he said, adding that 90 percent of the unlicensed drivers were motorcyclists.
More than 50 drivers are killed every year after losing control of their vehicles while speeding, he said, adding that 20 to 30 percent were motorbike riders.
Reported incidents of tailgating surged from 392 cases in 2019 to 502 cases last year, while reported incidents of blocking rose from 510 to 908 during the same period, he said.
The ministry’s campaigns resulted in 21 fewer deaths from drunk driving than the average in the first quarter and 22 fewer deaths from unsafe driving at intersections than the average in the second quarter, he said.
The National Police Agency will help the ministry promote road safety by enforcing traffic rules and prioritizing complaints about drivers involved in any of the three listed dangerous driving practices, Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.
“The public is urged to drive safely, because the point of driving is to get home safe and sound,” he said.
The MOTC and Ministry of the Interior’s joint campaign against drunk driving has resulted in a drop in reported incidents across the nation, showing that further collaboration would be successful, he said.
Meanwhile, the Formosa Motorcycle Rights Association staged a protest outside the MOTC, saying that the campaign was for show and did not address any of the structural issues affecting road safety in the nation.
The government should change unreasonable speed limits instead of constantly telling the public to observe them, association public information director Johnny Liu (劉成謙) said.
The MOTC has done nothing to address the association’s demands to open provincial highways to heavy-duty motorbikes, change lane restrictions and right-of-way rules affecting motorbikes, and improve road designs, among others, he said.
The government’s promotion of road safety is misguided, with enforcement of the law taking precedence over education and engineering solutions, New Power Party (NPP) Taipei city councilor candidate Jerry Liu (劉仕傑) said.
Government regulations unfairly favor automobile drivers over motorcyclists and pedestrians, said Lin Hung-tai (林泓泰), another NPP candidate for Taipei city councilor.
“The right to use the road safely should not depend on the number of wheels you have,” he said.
The latest news conference shows that the MOTC has no answer to civic groups’ demand for reform except political theater, said Lin Pai-hsun (林柏勛), another NPP Taipei city councilor candidate.
The ministries “staged a large news conference and have nothing to show for it except people protesting against it,” Lin said.
“Bureaucratically, putting two ministries together sometimes get less work done than just one,” he added.
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