Rear child seats for scooters are not sufficiently regulated and do not ensure the safety of children, the National Audit Office said.
There were 338 deaths related to scooter incidents over the past four years, amounting to 88.95 percent of traffic-related deaths, the office said in a report, citing data from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
More than 30,000 children and teenagers were injured or killed in traffic incidents last year, higher than the past four years, it added.
Photo: Taipei Times file
Many parents install a child seat on the rear of their scooters to protect children from falling, but those have not been examined by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, the office’s report said.
Road traffic laws such as the Regulations Governing Road Traffic Safety (道路交通安全規則) do not stipulate criteria for the specifications and functional properties of rear child seats, so no regulation can guarantee the protective effects of such products, it said.
The report also said the ministry could not analyze traffic accidents caused by rear child seats and propose preventive measures, as the National Police Agency has yet to collect data on deaths and injuries related to children on such seats in scooter incidents.
While child seats for cars and bikes are regulated, those for scooters still lack legal control, it said, adding that the office has requested the ministry to create countermeasures and propose a regulatory bill.
Deaths and injuries in incidents involving a rear child seat should be gathered and analyzed to provide a basis for legislation, the report said.
The ministry should also educate the public about the risks and precautions needed when carrying children on a scooter to ensure their safety, it added.
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