Following a major traffic accident in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District on Monday that resulted in 13 injuries and three fatalities, the Transportation Ministry proposed a series of reforms on Tuesday. Apart from stricter driving examination standards and strengthening awareness of drivers with previous violations, the reforms largely focus on safer driving practices among the elderly.
Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said during a press conference Tuesday evening that they are proposing lowering the age of license renewal from 75 to 70, strengthening the hazard perception test, and requiring any persons with accident records to undergo on-site retraining. He said the Transportation Ministry is also cooperating with the Interior Ministry and local governments to accelerate the construction of school district roads with unified speed limits.
In order to incentivize elderly drivers to voluntarily return their licenses, Chen said they plan to subsidize the purchase of monthly TPASS tickets. Legislators called upon the ministry to consider implementing buses or carpooling mechanisms to make transportation for the elderly more convenient outside of Taipei and New Taipei City. KMT Legislator Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) additionally suggested that Taiwan should follow Japan’s example and require elderly drivers’ vehicles to be equipped with anti-acceleration devices.
Chen emphasized that the ministry will be employing more scientific methods to test elderly drivers and to determine the efficacy of installing vehicle safety systems. He said the relevant legislation will be formulated within three months, with official implementation expected by next year.