Tougher penalties for LEV riders under the influence: Cho
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, with CNA
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday pledged to impose heavier penalties on people who ride light electric vehicles (LEVs) while under the influence of alcohol or drugs after their driver’s license has been revoked.
Unlike electric bicycles, which rely primarily on pedaling with electric assistance, LEVs are powered mainly by electricity and can operate without pedaling.
In Taiwan, LEVs must be registered and display a license plate, and riders are required to wear helmets, but no driver’s license is needed.
Tourists ride light electric vehicles in Kinmen County on July 4 last year.
Photo: Wu Cheng-ting, Taipei Times
They are subject to a maximum speed limit of 25kph and a weight limit of 40kg, excluding the battery.
Electric scooters, by contrast, require registration and a valid driver’s license, and generally offer greater speed and power for longer commutes.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said in a plenary session that while the public welcomes the government’s efforts to curb alcohol or drug-impaired driving through higher fines and stricter criminal penalties, a loophole remains: Drivers whose licenses have been revoked for driving under the influence could switch to LEVs, which do not require a license.
Some people have jokingly referred to LEVs as vehicles for drunk drivers, she said.
Statistics compiled by the Tainan Police Department showed that in the first seven months of this year, nearly 3,000 traffic contraventions involving LEVs were recorded, with about 10 percent involving drunk or drug-impaired riders.
“These are not isolated cases, but a systematic circumvention of traffic laws that undermines tougher penalties for drunk or drug-impaired driving,” Yang said.
Although LEVs are limited to 25kph, many riders tamper with their vehicles to reach speeds of 50kph to 60kph, nearly as fast as motorcycles, she said.
However, the fine for riding an LEV while under the influence is only NT$1,200 to NT$2,400, which might not be enough to deter offenders, she added.
Cho said he had been briefed on accident rates involving LEVs at a Cabinet road safety meeting last month.
One major problem is that LEV riders often exceed the speed limit, he said.
He said tougher penalties should be imposed on LEV riders whose driver’s licenses had been revoked for drunk or drug-impaired driving.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said the ministry plans to address the problem at its source and would submit a report on the issue within three months.
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