Brian Hioeby Brian Hioe
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Photo Credit: 還路於民 Vision Zero Taiwan/Facebook
A RALLY TOOK PLACE on Sunday morning in Taipei to call for reform of the licensing system for drivers. Around 100 attended.
Public anger has broken out after a deadly traffic accident in Sanxia, New Taipei last Monday, where a 78-year-old driver surnamed Yu killed three and injured 12. Many of the affected were children, as the car driven by the man hit pedestrians and scooters. Yu has not yet been questioned by police, as he is still unconscious, and police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
This was not the only deadly accident that took place this week, either. Last Friday, a different 78-year-old man, surnamed Chiu, injured 7 after crashing into three vehicles and a bus. The incident took place near the Presidential Office in Taipei. Chiu did not test positive for alcohol in his bloodstream, but did not have a driver’s license. The same day, a 78-year-old man driving a Mercedes-Benz crashed into a taxi and then a residential building, injuring a woman in the house. It has not gone unremarked that the culprits of all three cases were 78 years old.
Criticisms raised by demonstrators, then, have pointed to the current system for managing renewals of driver’s licenses for individuals over 75 as flawed. Such individuals are required to be evaluated for their health, as well as vision and cognitive capacity every three years to determine whether they can still drive. Yet the questions that such drivers are asked are simplistic and do not test driving ability, such as asking them the date.
Likewise, demonstrators called for reforms to pedestrian walkways to make them safer for drivers and pedestrians. Sidewalks in Taiwan are often not sufficiently distinct from roads with moving traffic. Furthermore, given that they often change material and slope on even the same stretch of road, this makes Taiwan difficult to navigate for wheelchair users.
Photo credit: 還路於民 Vision Zero Taiwan/Facebook
There have been increased calls for reducing pedestrian fatalities in recent years, driven by public anger over accidents and a desire for Taiwan to avoid the label of “pedestrian hell” for visitors. A rally against traffic accidents in 2023, when attention on the issue was at its peak, drew tens of thousands.
Even so, the issue is one systemic in nature. While past attempts to reform traffic safety in Taiwan have involved stiffening fines for drivers, heavier penalties would not change the equation for, say, the three 78-year-olds who caused the three accidents in Taiwan last week.
Rather, there needs to be a more robust evaluatory process for older drivers. Nevertheless, criticisms of the licensing system apply to more than just elderly drivers. In particular, many people of varying age groups obtain licenses despite a lack of adequate knowledge or training about how to drive safely, something that is true of both car and scooter drivers.
Similarly, there needs to be changes in urban planning, given that the way roads themselves are designed leads to accidents. There has, in fact, been a visible change in cars giving way for pedestrians since increases in penalties and their enforcement in past years. At the same time, given the larger number of stakeholders, it has probably been more difficult to change urban planning.
Still, calls for pedestrian safety have now come to constitute a new social movement in Taiwan, and that a rally was organized on short notice to call for pedestrian safety is a sign of that. It is to be seen whether the calls for improving the traffic outlook in Taiwan are sufficient to push for changes both on the part of the government and the public at large.