Government pledges to double down on drivers not stopping for pedestrians at intersections
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/22
By: Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Taiwan to enhance pedestrian safety beginning September. (CNA photo)
At a press conference, MOTC said the project will commence in September to raise road safety awareness and educate drivers about the right of way of pedestrians. It was pointed out that national traffic accident rates have risen over the last two years, with a total of 839 pedestrian fatalities reported during this period.
According to the government, the number of incidents when vehicles failed to yield to pedestrians increased from 879,698 in 2015 to 1.38 million last year. The number of fatalities occurring within 30 days of a traffic accident also saw an 3.1 percent increase from 2018 to 2,865 last year.
Hsieh Ming-hong (謝銘鴻), executive secretary of MOTC's Road Traffic Safety Commission, said approximately 40 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur at intersections. He reminded drivers to keep a distance of 3 meters from pedestrians and not occupy crosswalks with their vehicles, reported Liberty Times. [FULL STORY]
