The Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee yesterday gave its preliminary approval to a proposal to raise the maximum fine for motorists refusing to stop for roadside inspections from NT$6,000 to NT$30,000.
Article 60 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) states that motorists refusing to stop for inspections and fleeing the scene are to be fined between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) said.
“This legal loophole has caused many people to reject inspections and flee, as they would be fined no more than NT$6,000 if they get caught,” Lai said. “This has resulted in an average of 10,000 cases per year in which drivers refused to stop for inspections.”
“However, these drivers could cause harm to pedestrians, other drivers and law enforcement officers when they try to escape. The government should set tougher fines for drivers refusing to stop for inspections,” he said.
Aside from increasing the fine, the government should revoke or suspend the licenses of drivers refusing inspections if they cause deaths or injuries to other people while fleeing, he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Jason Hsu (許毓仁) proposed a higher penalty of between NT$90,000 and NT$180,000.
Drivers refusing to take Breathalyzer tests or driving while intoxicated face a maximum fine of NT$90,000, with their cars being detained and drivers’ licenses suspended for one year, while people who refuse to pull over and escape are only fined NT$3,000 to NT$6,000, which is too lenient, he said.
DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) proposed that the government suspend the license plates of people refusing inspections for three months in addition to the fines.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Chi Wen-chung (祁文中) said that the ministry generally agrees with the lawmakers’ proposals to toughen up sanctions against drivers rejecting inspections and fleeing the scene.
“However, Article No. 61 of the same act states that motorists refusing to stop for inspections and consequently causing injuries and deaths are to be fined NT$30,000 and NT$60,000. Fines set for motorists refusing to stop inspections should not be higher than those for drivers who cause injuries and deaths as a result of avoiding inspections. We suggest that the fine be set between NT$10,000 and NT$30,000,” Chi said.
He proposed that drivers’ licenses be suspended instead of their license plates.
The committee eventually approved the version of the amendment proposed by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, with drivers being fined between NT$10,000 and NT$30,000 if they refuse to stop for inspections and their licenses being suspended for three months.
If a driver breaches Article 60 more than twice within five years, the starting fine would be NT$30,000, and their licenses would be suspended for one year, the ministry’s proposal said.
Police have issued warnings against traveling to Cambodia or Thailand when others have paid for the travel fare in light of increasing cases of teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people being tricked into traveling to these countries and then being held for ransom. Recounting their ordeal, one victim on Monday said she was asked by a friend to visit Thailand and help set up a bank account there, for which they would be paid NT$70,000 to NT$100,000 (US$2,136 to US$3,051). The victim said she had not found it strange that her friend was not coming along on the trip, adding that when she
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in
RSS