Eight pedestrians were killed in 13 fatal city bus incidents in Taipei and New Taipei City from 2019 to last year, mainly due to drivers failing to stop at pedestrian crossings, data from the two local governments showed.
In Taipei, 1,259 traffic incidents involving city buses resulted in eight deaths and 601 people being injured in the five-year period, Taipei City Public Transportation Office data showed.
There were 345 incidents last year alone, nearly 30 percent of the total, while 2020 had the highest number of fatalities and injuries at four and 145 respectively, the data showed.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Of the eight people who died, five were pedestrians who, based on law enforcement investigations and court rulings, lost their lives due to bus drivers failing to yield or notice vehicles in front of them, the data showed.
The other three died after drivers failed to turn in accordance with regulations or braked too hard, the data showed.
In New Taipei City, city bus drivers were found responsible for 1,568 traffic incidents, in which five people died, including three pedestrians, New Taipei City Government data showed.
There were 619 injuries in the five-year period, they showed.
The city last year reported three deaths and 190 injuries in incidents involving city buses, the highest yearly totals in the 2019-2023 period, they showed.
Three of the five people who died were pedestrians who were hit by city buses found to have been driving too fast at pedestrian crossings or had failed to give way.
The data from the two local administrations were released one day after a woman was killed after being trapped under one of two buses that collided in downtown Taipei.
Fifteen another people were injured in the collision, including eight people on a tour group from Thailand.
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