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The current act stipulates that a drunk driver’s license cannot be permanently rescinded following the Council of Grand Justices’ Constitutional Interpretation No. 699 issued in 2011, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has said.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
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS