Traffic rules requiring vehicles to maintain a distance of 3m from people on crosswalks would remain in place, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said on Monday, as it declined to implement stricter rules.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) last week canceled planned rules that would have require vehicles to come to a full stop — on top of the 3m rule — for all pedestrians on crosswalks, describing them as “too strict.”
The scrapped rule was to take effect on Friday among several new safety measures unveiled by the ministry after a three-year-old girl was struck and killed by a vehicle on a pedestrian crossing in Tainan.
Photo: CNA
An expert at Monday’s meeting said there was no reason to make the 3m rule any stricter, as people are already used to it.
Instead, the ministry should improve measures to protect pedestrian safety, such as promoting all-direction stops at intersections and raising driver awareness, the expert said.
In April, the legislature passed an amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), stipulating that drivers who do not yield to pedestrians at crossings or other areas designated for pedestrians would face a fine of NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, up from NT$1,200 to NT$3,600.
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