"Times Weekly Issue 1578" Report / Huang Shengzhi
Despite the Ministry of Transportation's efforts to improve both software and hardware measures, and even though traffic safety education has been rooted from a young age with intensive promotion, the number of traffic accidents in Taiwan has not decreased since 2000, and has even grown exponentially. By last year, the number had soared to 161,468 incidents, averaging 442 accidents per day, with 24 people injured or killed every hour.
It is undeniable that the high increase in the number of cars and motorcycles is one of the significant reasons for the rise in traffic accidents. Although the number of new car purchases has shown negative growth in recent years due to economic conditions, the overall number continues to increase. The total number of cars has reached 6.77 million, and motorcycles have reached 14 million. In such a situation where almost everyone has a vehicle, it's difficult for the accident rate not to be high.
The National Police Agency stated that, in terms of the accident rate per vehicle, Taiwan's traffic order has actually improved. Eight years ago, there was one accident for every 310,000 vehicles; by last year, this had decreased to one accident for every 790,000 vehicles. However, the National Police Agency also admitted that with the current annual growth rate of the total number of vehicles, reducing the number of casualties is extremely difficult.
According to statistics from the Department of Health, the death rate from traffic accidents in our country is relatively high, with an average of 20 deaths per 100,000 people, which is 2 to 3 times higher than in advanced countries. When considering the subsequent compensation and the family burdens behind the victims, scholars have calculated the economic loss to be as high as 300 billion Taiwan dollars.
Li Rongling, the head of the Traffic Division at the National Police Agency, believes that the prevention of national traffic accidents has indeed reached a bottleneck. Last year, under the pressure of public criticism for increasing tax revenues through fines, the government relaxed the intensity of law enforcement, leading to an immediate increase in violations and accidents, and a rapid rise in the number of deaths. This shows the weak concept of law-abiding among the people, forcing the police authorities to resort to controversial enforcement measures again this year.
In addition to the significant increase in the number of cars and motorcycles and the weak traffic safety awareness among the people, drunk driving is also a major reason for the high rate of traffic accidents. Cai Nianzhong, a professor in the Traffic Department at the Central Police University, stated that driving under the influence weakens visual abilities, making it difficult to see surrounding objects and adapt to light, especially at night. Additionally, alcohol anesthetizes the motor reflex nerves, usually delaying the braking response by 1 or 2 seconds, which is often too late to avoid tragedy.
The government's crackdown on drunk driving increased to 137,000 cases last year, with the number of cases serious enough to require legal action rising from 18,398 eight years ago to 48,644 last year. It is expected to exceed 50,000 cases this year. Traffic law enforcement units have almost entirely used their routine inspection work for alcohol testing duties.
The police do not deny that the increase in numbers is due to more diligent enforcement, not because people are increasingly fond of drinking and driving. However, compared to other violations that cause traffic accidents, drunk driving accidents result in more severe and irreversible injuries and deaths. With limited police resources, it is only logical to focus on preventing the most severe causes of accidents; other efforts will rely on the Ministry of Transportation and educational institutions to work together!
Traffic accident statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| years since separation | number of cases (cases) | number of casualties (people) |
| 89 years | 52,952 | 70,283 |
| 90 years | 64,466 | 83,956 |
| 91 years | 86,259 | 112,455 |
| 92 years | 120,223 | 159,021 |
| 93 years | 137,221 | 181,742 |
| 94 years | 155,814 | 205,981 |
| 95 years | 160,897 | 214,316 |
| 96 years | 161,468 | 213,807 |
Expert Opinion
Professor Wu Zongxiu from the Department of Transportation Technology and Management at National Chiao Tung University believes that reducing the number of traffic accident fatalities requires a multi-pronged approach, including road engineering and educating road users. Road users are not just drivers of cars and motorcycles; pedestrians must also adhere to traffic rules. The intensity of law enforcement will also have an impact. However, if efforts are only localized or short-term to meet performance targets, it may merely shift the location of accidents rather than comprehensively reduce the number of incidents.
Increasing DUI Arrests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Number of DUI Cases Referred for Legal Action (cases) | |
| 89 years | 18,398 | |
| 90 years | 27,800 | |
| 91 years | 28,065 | |
| 92 years | 24,329 | |
| 93 years | 28,701 | |
| 94 years | 30,467 | |
| 95 years | 37,266 | |
| 96 years | 48,644 | |
| Source/National Police Agency, Ministry of Transportation and Communications | ||
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