The number of pedestrians killed in traffic in Taipei City reached 17 during the first three months of the year, or six more than during the same period in 2022.
6 Likes
Dang…that’s bad. Even counting the whole country it still went up from 101 to 103. Even though it’s only 2 more across the whole of Taiwan that’s pretty bad considering the multiple periods of “Strict Enforcement” that many cities across Taiwan enacted for periods of 2-4 weeks at a time.
Taxi driver “yields” to pedestrians in Changhua (near train station) and gets rear-ended by a bus. New taxi too. Also look at how the driver defines yielding…it is very clear that pedestrians were wanting to cross but he didn’t stop seemingly until he was already on the edge of the crosswalk.
2 Likes
Most of the “yielding” that i used to see before and still do is “let me stop my scooter right on your foot you dear pedestrian”
6 Likes
after his scooter was hit at an intersection by a Bentley bought for NT$17 million (US$553,000).
Idk why this is relevant
2 Likes
Here’s some video from the news a few days ago. Seems like the student didn’t look to make sure it was clear first and just started turning as soon as he got to the intersection, which he didn’t go far enough into before initiating a turn. Looks to be 100% his own fault. It also seems on this road scooters have to make two-stage turns as well.
Not sure how with all of that, on top of the law mentioned in the article that states vehicles turning left must yield for oncoming traffic, that the car driver is being transferred to the prosecutors for possibly negligent homicide and may catch a charge for that.
Also I’m not sure where Taiwan News is getting this part:
Liu had been riding his scooter down Yucheng Road when he approached a stop light. When the light turned green, he started to make a left turn. However, he was struck on his right side by Li as he drove through the intersection.
In the video it can clearly be seen that he and the bus before him had a green light prior to arriving at the intersection The way they word it makes it sound like he was already at the intersection waiting for the light to change which is just wrong.
Here’s the intersection where it happened:
2 Likes
I think the only way to solve the problem is to levy heavy fines on drivers who get caught not yielding to pedestrians, just like running a red light, and, heavy sentences if there is any injuries on pedestrians.
2 Likes
I always compare these numbers with the numbers where I’m from. Always make me wonder why the heck I am here.
Comunidad de Madrid (6.64 millions). 9 pedestrians dead in 2022. So, 12 months.
Taipei (2.74 millions). 17 in just 3 months.
6 Likes
Except the fine isn’t heavy, so most don’t get caught
1 Like
Agree. From car’s perspective, he must just suddenly appeared behind the bus. Maybe the driver’s reaction wasn’t great (that Bentley must have massive brakes) but it doesn’t look like they were speeding.
One of the many wack things in Taiwan. They always do this with luxury cars or motorcycles. Maybe it is a way to say “look how much money peasants cost to the rich”.
1 Like
Should be rephased: he leapt before looking.
Test culture might have a part to play with people driving like automatons without taking stock of their environment. I see it with pedestrians, cyclists, cars.
1 Like
Imagine having your life ruined like that because a young man basically ignored every rule/law and common sense and ended up killing himself by running into your vehicle and possibly getting charged with negligent homicide…seems a bit ridiculous.
I do recall a few years ago some driver was charged with negligent homicide because a scooter on the far right cut across multiple lanes to take a left and essentially drove in front of a car in the inner lane who had only about 1-2 seconds to react and got hit and eventually died.
4 Likes
I’m more surprised that the Bentley apparently did not seem to have a working emergency brake system which could have prevented the accident or at least reduced the impact velocity.
2 Likes
He was not driving defensively; his speed was sufficiently excessive or his reaction too slow to react to the scooter. Populated areas require one to proceed with caution regardless of traffic lights.
That guy drove defensively by most standards especially Taiwan. Scooter kid should have paid better attention is his drivers ed, he is only to blame. Feel bad for the Bentley driver to have to be affected by someone else’s stupidity.
Looks like another example of inability to turn left. If the scooter hadn’t intiated the turn before reaching the intersection, they might still be alive.
2 Likes
One reason I refuse to drive a scooter is because I seen how dangerous those things are… Most scooter riders don’t realize that if you so much as touch anything while moving, you’re pretty much going to die.
Nope. Just today I leaned too far in a corner and scraped my centre stand on the road. It happens sometimes, never caused a fall. I’ve also had two people on scooters touch me while they were moving (one of those I was as well) and nobody fell
So in my personal experience here, you 100% don’t know what you’re talking about 
1 Like
That may very well be; now he is involved in a fatal crash. Its about safety, not compliance. There is a reasonable basis for faulting one who rear-ends another, as we normally drive forward. In a head-on collision there is a reasonable expectation of a competent driver avoiding others’ reckless or stupid mistakes.
That’s not what happened here
The Bentley can’t see through the bus, and anyways it doesn’t look like the scooter was signalling. If someone veers into you from out of nowhere, there aren’t a lot of options or time
2 Likes
The guy decided to gamble no one was coming behind that bus. Gamble was lost. Natural selection in practice I guess!
2 Likes