An increasing number of traffic fatalities involve people who fail to check the traffic situation before opening vehicle doors, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
Road Traffic Safety Committee data showed that the 2,476 such incidents recorded in 2021 led to 11 deaths and 2,793 injuries.
However, the number of incidents has remained stable over the past few years, the ministry said.
“Drivers or passengers illegally opening or closing a car door when making a stop or while parking” face fines of NT$1,200 to NT$3,600, Article 56-1 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) stipulates.
The committee said that legislators have in the past few years attempted to raise the fines, but there was no legislative majority for such a move.
The ministry said there were no plans to amend the act, as people causing deaths or injury when illegally opening vehicle doors also face criminal charges.
Safely opening and closing vehicle doors is part of driving school curricula, and those who fail to do so during their license test would have points deducted, the ministry said.
Committee Executive Secretary Wu Mu-fu (吳木富) said that drivers passing a parked vehicle that suddenly opens its door have little time to react.
People should check their rearview mirror and turn their head to see whether there is oncoming traffic before opening the door of their vehicle when it is parked on the roadside, Wu said.
People should open the door slightly and look for oncoming traffic before fully opening it, he added.
Taiwan Traffic Safety Association deputy chairman Lin Chih-hsueh (林志學) said that the government should change the requirements for roadside parking spaces to make them safer.
The government should also increase safety for scooters, as dedicated lanes are usually right next to roadside parking spaces, he said.
Drivers should park their vehicles as close as possible to the curb, he said, adding that most parking spaces are 2.3m wide, while most vehicles are less than 2m wide.
Scooter riders should avoid the outer edge of the scooter lane to lower the risk of crashing into a suddenly opened vehicle door.
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