Better than Where’s Waldo? !
Bunch of barbarians …
Man in Tainan out for a run is running on the shoulder and is hit and killed by a driver who drifted over onto the shoulder. The driver didn’t stop and fled the scene. Driver, after being caught, claims he had taken some sleeping medicine.
No sidewalks…of course. Taiwan has tons of marathons and road races yet there’s hardly any sidewalks to run on.
Kid crossing the street hit by a scooter. Lady on the scooter has her kid/grandkid standing in the front.
Tainan bus turning right hits pedestrian trying to cross.
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Well the meeting happened yesterday without any group relating to motorcycles attending as the MOTC still did not allow them to attend, despite the whole point of the meeting being to discuss driver’s licenses. MOTC only responded that they will invite the motorcycle civic groups next month to another meeting.
Anyways, TLDR from the meeting:
Failure to yield or slow down to pedestrians on the car road test will result in immediate failure starting June 2nd.
Proposed road training before license exam and on-road driving test driving tests for motorcycles
Proposed change to require motorcycle license learners to log experience/hours, whether self-taught or through a motorcycle training course.
Remove the stupidly easy questions from the written test (99% correct rate) and some adjustments to the written test.
Improve retraining programs for licensed road users.
ChatGPT Translation of article:
Driver’s License Reform Plan Announced: One Mistake Could Mean Instant Disqualification Starting in June
The current driver’s license training and examination system has faced ongoing criticism and is in need of improvement. Today (April 25), Taiwan’s Directorate General of Highways (DGH) under the Ministry of Transportation held a meeting with civic groups to discuss upgrades to the licensing process before, during, and after the exam. According to their latest plan, reforms include adding road training before the scooter license exam and incorporating on-road driving tests. Additionally, starting June 2, new rules for car driving tests will be implemented: failure to slow down or yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, or failing to perform proper pointing and verbal confirmation, will result in an immediate 32-point deduction—leading to disqualification.
In recent years, the DGH has continually reviewed and updated the licensing system. Statistics show that over the past five years, the pass rate for the written car test was 92%, the road test 79%, and the license acquisition rate 72%. For scooters, the written test pass rate was 75%, the road test 65%, and the final license acquisition rate 50%. The system has been criticized for having overly simple questions, lacking depth or differentiation, being too formalistic, and not reflecting real-world scenarios or human-centered concepts.
This year brings new regulations as well. The DGH has revised the scoring sheet for on-road car tests. Starting June 2, to instill a habit of pedestrian priority and safe driving practices, drivers who fail to slow down at pedestrian crossings or neglect to perform the required pointing and verbal checks during turns will be deducted 32 points instantly—resulting in test failure.
The DGH’s comprehensive plan to improve the entire scooter and car licensing process includes the following:
- Before the exam: Strengthen hazard perception training and pre-exam orientation courses; require scooter learners to log prior learning experience (whether self-taught or from a driving school); introduce pre-exam road training; and improve the management and curriculum of driving schools.
- During the exam: Improve the written test system by removing overly easy questions (those with a 99% correct rate) and adjusting the question ratio; refine the content and site conditions of road tests; and include on-road testing for scooters in an ongoing, adaptive way.
- After the exam: Continue to enhance retraining and corrective programs for licensed drivers; and coordinate between agencies to address drivers’ changing physical and cognitive abilities.
Li Ke-tsung, convener of the Consumer Foundation’s Transportation Committee, suggested that the DGH conduct effectiveness analyses of past improvement efforts and make continual adjustments. He urged the agency to set short-, medium-, and long-term goals for upcoming reforms. Since legal changes can take longer, measures that don’t require legislative revision should be prioritized. He emphasized that licensing reform can’t keep dragging on and called for swift consensus and phased implementation.
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This place is literally hopeless. Absolute circus. lolll
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You were saying?
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I wonder if the legal system has to be modified.
The unique nature of the U.S. tort system, especially in terms of personal injury law, stands out compared to other countries. In the U.S., it’s not uncommon to see aggressive traffic lawyers advertising on billboards, particularly in relation to accidents. The way these lawyers operate is often critiqued as “ambulance chasing,” but from a certain perspective, they are part of a broader ecosystem that balances the power between victims and defendants.
In many instances, if you’re a victim of an accident, you may not have to pay anything upfront because the lawyers typically work on a contingency basis, taking a significant portion of the settlement. This can lead to sizable financial claims—potentially ranging from $500,000 to several million dollars—if the case is serious enough.
A key part of the system is ensuring that victims, especially those who might not be able to afford litigation otherwise, can access justice. However, this also means that the compensation amount can sometimes be excessive, depending on the circumstances. For example, many states have standard liability insurance recommendations such as $100,000/$300,000/$100,000 for bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, and property damage, respectively. Some policies even go as high as $1 million in coverage.
If you don’t have enough insurance coverage in place, your assets, including your house or savings, could be at risk. This is less common in many other countries, where the emphasis on personal injury litigation may not be as strong or financially structured in the same way.
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In Taoyuan’s Bade district a car veered off to the side and drove up onto the sidewalk and slammed into 2 pedestrians. One pedestrian is dead and the other is severely injured. It is unknown why the driver veered off to the side when going through the intersection at this time as the driver is in a coma. The passenger in the vehicle was also injured. Happened right in front of the district office.
Another shitty driver hits a pedestrian island…which even has dash marks to guide turning vehicles. The driver demands govt. compensation as he had to get stitches after smashing his vehicle into it…
As the pedestrian island had yet to be painted there were multiple traffic cones and flashing red lights placed on and around it to warn drivers. He still hit it.
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@tommy525, these are the drivers that are afraid of large motorcycles…
Edit: #banleftturns
It truly takes a special person to do this and then have the nerve to go on tv and claim to be the victim.
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It’s not even the first time we’ve see it this year, is it?
No question a lot of accidents happen in Taiwan and a lot of drivers are totally incompetent
I don’t see how allowing motos on the freeway is going to help lower the fatality rate
They are gong to be mangled by incompetent drivers
But that said they have the same dangers everywhere else so essentially there is no difference
In just the past couple weeks I think we’re up to somewhere around 8-10. In that news video they’ve also mentioned other pedestrian islands there being hit recently. I’ve seen some on Threads that I don’t think have been shared on the news yet as well.
Here’s one where the driver flips themselves over.
A large truck driver hits the pedestrian island and blows out one of his wheels.
I already shared this one before…but come on 3 times in just 2 hours.
At the very least I didn’t get run over by a car because a kid climbed up to the front seat of the car and put the car in reverse which then proceeded to run over 2 people on a scooter…
At the very least Taichung’s most beloved pedestrian island, made famous by dozens of people hitting both this one and the one at the next intersection down over the span of a week or two still maintains a perfect 5 star rating with over 300 reviews. Even after dashed guideline marks were added I noticed the last few times I passed through here that quite a few drivers still just head straight for the pedestrian island and only move out of the way when they get really close.
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When I was about that age my baby sitter who was a young teenager let me go ahead of her on a cross walk in Taipei and I was hit by a taxi and run over
Thank God he was going very slow and the car rode high so it just passed over me
I wasn’t hurt
If the wheels got me I would have died
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Can you post a link to the Google map location? We should all visit and leave a 5 star review. Praise the quality of the concrete and paint job!
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Sure thing, here it is:
Phone, dumb, or both?
Remember, at the end of the day if you want to try to kill someone in Taiwan it’s best to try it by using something with at least 4 wheels.
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His actions could be in violation of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act. It could be considered an obstruction of traffic, which is finable with NT$500.
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