Drivers operating vehicles with forged or altered license plates or those obtained using a fake ID would be fined NT$36,000, up from NT$18,000, based on a proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例).
The tougher sanctions would apply to drivers and owners of cars and motorcycles found with a forged license plate, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said at a news conference in Taipei.
Police can confiscate a vehicle if it is found to have a forged or altered license plate, and the plate would be destroyed, the ministry said.
Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times
The amendment was proposed due to a dramatic surge in motor vehicles with forged license plates this year, Department of Public Transportation and Supervision Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said.
Not only do they disrupt the nation’s vehicle management system, but they also endanger road safety and threaten social stability, Lin said.
The ministry incorporated input from the National Police Agency (NPA), the Ministry of Justice, the Highway Bureau and transportation officials in drafting the amendment, he said.
Drivers operating vehicles with forged or altered license plates would receive the same fine as a dangerous driver, he said.
The amendment also stipulates that drivers would be fined NT$36,000 if they use a fake ID to acquire a license plate or if they drive a vehicle without a license plate, Lin said.
“We hope that the Executive Yuan would quickly review our proposed amendment and forward it to the legislature for further deliberation. The amendment can be enforced immediately after it is passed, as no other supporting measures are required,” the official said.
The number of cases involving forged license plates rose from 95 in 2021 to 169 in 2022 and 251 last year, Highway Bureau statistics showed.
As of last month, police had reported 1,012 cases so far this year, with 259 in August alone.
Aside from working with the Customs Administration and the NPA to stop the illegal import of license plates at the border, the transportation ministry has also worked with the Ministry of Digital Affairs to stop 46 cases of illegal plates being sold on Facebook, Line, YouTube, TikTok, Shopee, Yahoo and Ruten.
“Some people bought license plates online because theirs were suspended or revoked, while others bought them to commit crimes,” Lin said.
“By doing so, they have contravened transportation regulations and committed the crime of forgery,” he added.
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