Police in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和) yesterday said they for the first time fined someone for driving a mini electric two-wheeled vehicle while under the influence of drugs.
The New Taipei City Police Department said they fined a 58-year-old man, surnamed Lu (呂), who walked into the Jisui Police Station at about 4pm on Friday and told an officer he wanted to turn himself in.
Lu hoped to break his drug addiction, and handed over a bag of amphetamines and a pipe, police said.
Photo copied by CNA
The man was searched and questioned, and police prepared to turn him over to prosecutors for drug possession, they said.
Police also administered a rapid saliva test to determine whether Lu, who had ridden a mini electric two-wheeled vehicle to the station, had driven while impaired by drugs, the police said.
When the test came back positive for amphetamines, police issued Lu a citation, which was the first time New Taipei City fined someone for driving a mini electric two-wheeled vehicle while under the influence of drugs, the department said.
Mini electric two-wheeled vehicles are vehicles between a standard motorcycle or motor scooter and an electric bicycle. Drivers only have to be 14 years old, meaning that a driver’s license is not required, although owners must obtain a license plate and insurance.
Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), such vehicles are defined as mainly powered by electricity, with a maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour or less, and a weight of at least 40kg without a battery and 60kg with a battery.
Under the act, driving a slow-moving vehicle — such as a bicycle, electric bicycle, mini electric two-wheeled vehicle, personal mobility device or an animal-driven vehicle — while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is punishable by a fine of between NT$1,200 and NT$2,400. The vehicle would also be impounded.
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