Amendments restricting traffic offenses that members of the public can report passed the legislature yesterday and would take effect as soon as next month.
The amended Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) says that offenses such as using a phone while operating a motorcycle, smoking that affects other road users, operating a vehicle without visible reverse lights or failing to yield to pedestrians when backing up are no longer reportable.
Temporarily parking under or near bridges, tunnels, roundabouts, across barriers or obstacles, within 10m of bus stops, and within 5m of fire station entrances are also no longer reportable, it says.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau
However, acts that directly affect pedestrian safety, other drivers and physically challenged people, such as failure to wear a helmet, parking over a pedestrian crossing, parking against the direction of traffic and illegally occupying parking spots reserved for physically challenged people, remain reportable, the updated act says.
Reports from members of the public and from technology-enforced enforcement methods would no longer be valid grounds to issue traffic violation points, the amendments say.
Police officers must pull over offenders and verify their identity on the spot to issue points, the amendments say.
The amendments also relax regulations allowing drivers to attend two traffic safety courses to have four traffic points deducted per year, up from one course and two points under the current system.
Ministry of Transportation and Communications Department of Railways and Highways Director Lin Fu-san (林福山) said that the amendments are expected to enter into effect as early as next month, as no supporting laws were affected.
The Legislative Yuan passed an addendum mandating the ministry to report to the legislature’s Transportation Committee one year after the amendments go into effect to gauge their effectiveness in ameliorating congestion, improving pedestrian safety and parking, and other issues.
The amendments were proposed following changes that took effect in June last year that gave the public the right to report 13 types of traffic offenses, drawing protests from taxi unions.
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