The legislature’s Transportation Committee on Wednesday passed the first reading of amendments that would bar people convicted of drunk driving that resulted in death or serious injury from ever regaining their licenses, in the latest push to deal with the nation’s road safety woes.
The proposed changes to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) also include provisions enhancing fines and penalties for driving without a license.
The current act stipulates that a drunk driver’s license cannot be permanently rescinded following the Council of Grand Justices’ Constitutional Interpretation No. 699 issued in 2011, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has said.
Photo courtesy of the Tainan Police Department
Instead, people convicted of causing death by driving under the influence are eligible for a temporary driver’s license in six, eight, 10 or 12 years following the judgement, depending on the circumstances, the ministry said.
Such drivers may regain a permanent driver’s license if they incur no deductions to their driver’s license points, it added.
This part of the bill — which was sponsored by the Taiwan People’s Party — would permanently revoke the license of drunk or intoxicated drivers who caused death or serious injury with no possibility of regaining the privilege.
Those convicted or found responsible for other types of driving under the influence-related offenses would be able to regain their driver’s license under certain conditions, as before.
Legislators from across the political divide also agreed that the maximum fine for driving a motorbike or passenger vehicle without a license should be increased to NT$36,000 and NT$60,000 respectively.
The vehicle involved in unlicensed driving would be impounded immediately upon discovery, according to the amendments.
Lawmakers made the decision after Taipei Department of Public Transportation and Supervision Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) told the committee that driving without a license on average causes 600 deaths and 60,000 injuries a year in Taiwan.
This figure is six times that of the number of deaths caused by drunk or intoxicated drivers, he added.
The bill would also raise the penalty for using non-original parts in vehicle exhaust pipes from NT$1,800 to NT$3,600, in a bid to prevent drivers from tuning bikes or vehicles to amplify engine noise.
Owners of vehicles found to have committed the offense would have 15 days to undo the modifications, which must be certified by an appropriate government office.
Pedestrians who do not yield to ambulances signaling an emergency with lights and sirens would face a NT$500 fine, while the penalty for those who intrude on railways and highways would be doubled to NT$4,800 from NT$2,400.
Additional reporting by CNA
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