Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/03/2020
By: Fan Cheng-hsiang and Matthew Mazzetta

Taipei, June 3 (CNA) A member of Taiwan's Legislature and a civic group urged the government on Wednesday to set age, insurance and vehicle registration requirements for electric bicycles, citing their involvement in a rising number of road accidents and a heightened risk to minors.

E-bikes, which do not require a driver's license to operate and have thus become popular with students, were involved in 3,095 accidents last year, causing 2,679 injuries and deaths, Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), an opposition Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker, said at a press conference.

Of those, minors aged 15-17 accounted for 493 accidents and 420 injuries and deaths, more than double the respective figures of 189 and 156 from five years ago, Chiang said.

In response, Chiang and the Jing Chuan Child Safety Foundation called for strengthening regulations in four areas, including setting a minimum age of 14 to operate the bikes and requiring people applying for the approved government rebate after purchasing an e-bike to pass a safety course.    [FULL  STORY]