Local media is reporting on this youtuber’s video. Japanese Youtuber showing her elderly father around and as they are walking a truck in the side street quickly speeds past them at a close distance. The dad understands Taiwan very well…people generally nice but when they get in a vehicle…
The father even jokes that every time he makes it back to Japan (from Taiwan) he says ah lucky I haven’t been hit and killed yet.
Sad news today… update about the older sister hit by an unlicensed driver in Changhua. Unfortunately the older sister passed away this morning. The younger sister is still in a coma and on life support.
I just read the news. Very sad. But, honestly, it’s probably for the better. I don’t think she had many chances, if any, to have a life. Better be gone at the spot, or days, or months like this case, than being a vegetal for years, decades.
I think they were still holding on and hoping things would get better since originally she was showing some improvement and regained consciousness, but then her condition rapidly deteriorated.
Really hope the younger sister is able to pull through, but things are still really bad for her too. I hope the younger brother is able to get some support…so sad hearing him say he hopes his sister can get better so she can play with him again.
This story has left me totally gutted, and also furious at how drivers here treat life so cheaply.
I don’t often think of the death penalty as appropriate, but for the unlicenced driver who killed that girl and maimed her sister. . . 
Guy
Woman in her lates 70s hit and knocked to the ground in New Taipei as she was crossing the street. Left turning driver. Second part of the news clip shows a student on a YouBike getting taken out by a car cutting off the student and making a right turn from a left turn lane…the driver fled the scene. After that just the usual compilation of recent traffic accidents…
The driver had even been caught driving without a license before…he didn’t want to take the test because he was worried he couldn’t pass it because he is actually illiterate. Even though the kids shouldn’t have crossed the fact of the matter is the driver should’ve never been on the road.
Not to mention the MOTC and if I remember also the Highway Bureau (for that road/area) have quite a large amount of responsibility as well as it’s just a garbage road design. It was the usual BS unfriendly pedestrian design…the one time the uncle couldn’t pick up the kids after class and they walk home…
Here’s another driver…22 years old. Young guy in Taichung has been caught driving without a license nine times in just 5 years…meaning he was driving while underage as well. The vehicle’s license plate was also suspended…so the guy was driving around with a fake plate.
Now we just have to wait for him to keep driving and kill someone then maybe finally he will get some real punishment…a harsh 1 yr. sentence.
Regarding the girl who died and the sister who was put into a coma: did that unlicenced driver ever receive any punishment / consequences?
Guy
Unfortunately for her it appears she wasn’t actually on the crossing so in Taiwan land she may be fined for jay walking and have to compensate the driver for damage to their vehicle!
Nothing on those pictures makes sense
Then that means those pictures are definately taken in Taiwan.
A few pedestrians almost became another statistic…got lucky the driver stopped.
EDIT:
English article on FocusTaiwan:
Okay new data out on pedestrian deaths. For January to June this year, compared to last year, pedestrians DEATHS have gone up 5.8%!!! It’s getting worse…last time there was a reproted increase it was still below 3% if I recall correctly.
The primary reason is vehicles failing to yield to pedestrians. Big surprise.
At the very least overall traffic deaths have gone done with 141 less deaths than last year…so it’s not a total disaster…just a very big disaster…failing to do the thing they promised to do…lower pedestrian deaths.
Google translated section from the article:
Chen Shikai said that the improvement plan for 799 accident-prone intersections is accelerating and will be completed by the end of the year. From the perspective of pedestrian deaths and accidents, 40% of vehicles fail to yield to pedestrians or pedestrians violate regulations. In addition to publicity and education, more efforts should be made in the future Enforce the law, increase police attendance, and make every effort to improve traffic engineering.
Ah yes, Republic of China police who have actively worked to make things hell for pedestrians and even other road users.
How to ensure pedestrian road safety and passerby safety is the most important mission of the Ministry of Transportation. In line with President Lai Qingde’s political views, 2030 The number of traffic accident deaths should drop by 50%, and should drop by 7% every year. The target has been reached from January to June this year. Pedestrian deaths will also drop by 50% in 2030. In the future, we will continue to strengthen through engineering improvements, law enforcement and education.
I’ll believe it when I see it but I don’t know if I can live to see it given just how bad things are on the roads. I would say sidewalks too but those are largely non-existent in most of Taiwan.
The Ministry of Transportation analyzed the causes of pedestrian deaths. The highest proportion was that vehicles failed to stop and give way to pedestrians in accordance with regulations, accounting for 21.3%; followed by failure to follow signs or markings to cross the road (19.1%); and drowsiness, nervousness, and distracted driving accounted for 11.5%. , Others include failure to follow signs or hand signals to cross the road, and failure to slow down in accordance with regulations.
Regarding the death of children in traffic accidents, Chen Shikai mentioned that during his tenure as Taichung City Councilor, he fought for local elementary schools to install physical sidewalks, which indeed reduced traffic accidents around schools.
Oh wow, seems like the acting head of MOTC understands this. Big step up from what we’ve had before.
Too bad so many others fail to understand something so basic. Guess what, I pass by a school frequently that has always had sidewalks. The police ignore the illegal parking there all the time. They drive by it all the time. Zero enforcement means the sidewalk is just another parking lot.
Chen Shikai said that improving road safety is not a matter of a single ministry, but relies on the cooperation between the central and local governments. If local traffic accidents do not improve, the Ministry of Transportation will step in to assist so that the public can have a more comfortable and safer traffic environment.
Oh screw that, just come in and take control. I’m tired of all this waiting and YEARS to build a tiny ass sidewalk that could probably be built in a week in my shitty hometown. Again Taipei City, the capital over 10 years upgraded zero painted sidewalks despite that being the plan…yeah we can really trust the local govts.
The fortune teller must have been drunk
In Tamsui a local politician has gotten part of a sidewalk removed to make the two stage turn box bigger. Now pedestrians in wheelchairs or some people with mobility issues are completely screwed as now they can no longer continue straight as there is a curb…meaning they have to go back around or into the road to get past this spot.
Going back around means you HAVE to walk into the road as well.
But then you still have to worry about motorcycles as they put parking on the sidewalks in the park.
Guess what, this is the only intersection in that area on this road that requires a two stage turn…so instead of just letting people do left turns like everywhere else in the world…they remove part of the sidewalk and make it impassable from one side to the other for wheelchair users and some others with some mobility disabilities without having to go all the way around. Embarassing.
Here I can do his job, but better. Look at how massive the outer lanes are. You can narrow them, which makes left turning safer and widen the sidewalk, or you can narrow them and add a dedicated left turn lane…and still have space to widen the sidewalk.
Here it is on Google maps:
No, just Tamsui.
They haven’t discovered roundabout yet
Having been through some of the the single lane traffic circles in Taichung…man it’s impressive how bad people here are at navigating them. You’re expecting too much when a majority of road users don’t know what the “stop” marking means…or the 97% of road users who have no idea how to properly navigate a flashing red light.
Well, was just down in K-town, and they are 100% not following any of the updated traffic rules. I thought this past year Taipei showed improvement. If the driver is male or female and under 50, at least part of the time, you could bank on them stopping which is dangerous, too, as you’re wondering if the impatient scooter behind isn’t going to try weaving around. At least some people are now supposing the car in front is stopped for a good reason in Taipei. But K-town, all new traffic laws and enforcement — zero effect. Doesn’t matter if you have a 2-year-old. Everyone weaving and bobbing around pedestrians on crosswalks — high speed, low speed, really just how good your nerves are.
Police vehicle, turning left, almost hits pedestrians crossing the street.
Actually looking at it again…looks like this counts as hitting the pedestrian since she put her arm out and the vehicle touched her as she was trying to quickly back up.
EDIT: YouTube link. Happened in Taichung. The officer was fined for not yielding to the pedestrian and will also face administrative punishment. It’s a 3 way intersection so there was nothing to look out for except for pedestrians.
Haven’t seen it on YouTube yet but here’s a facebook video link.
YouTuber hit while riding across the street on one of those mini electric scooters. Even though it’s technically a vehicle in this case, but looking at how the driver was driving…that was a dangerous turn. The guy suffered some serious head injuries.
