Civil groups seek driver's license renewal reform following deadly crash

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) More than 100 people joined a rally in Taipei on Sunday, organized by local road safety groups, to urge the government to implement comprehensive reforms to the driver's license renewal system and to prioritize improvements to sidewalk design.

The rally was organized as a response to a deadly car crash in New Taipei's Sanxia District last Monday when a 78-year-old driver surnamed Yu (余) ran a red light at high speed before hitting pedestrians and scooter riders near an elementary school, leaving three people dead and 12 injured.

The male driver remained in intensive care on Sunday and had not yet been questioned by police, while traffic authorities continued to investigate the cause of the incident.

Rally organizers said the Sanxia crash exposed that the government's current license renewal standards have failed to properly assess whether a driver is fit to drive.

Currently, drivers aged 75 and over are required to undergo a basic health check and cognitive screening every three years to renew their license. Yu had most recently renewed his license in February.

However, one member of the rally's organizing groups, which included two local NGOs -- the Taiwan Vision Zero Alliance and the Next-gen Transportation Union -- and other road safety organizations, criticized the current cognitive test as overly simplistic, citing questions such as "What's today's date?" and "How old are you?" as examples.

The participating NGOs called for reforms to the license renewal process, arguing that the current routine has become a mere formality and should be strengthened to effectively identify individuals who are no longer fit to drive.

They suggested the renewal process should not be limited to drivers over the age of 70, but should instead apply to drivers of all ages and be conducted regularly, as unqualified drivers can be of any age.

The NGOs also urged the government to improve sidewalk designs, particularly on streets near schools.

One participant at Sunday's rally, Chao Yi-cheng, told CNA that he is particularly dissatisfied with the design of Taiwan's sidewalks, seeing them as unsafe and inconvenient for pedestrians.

Another participant who wished to be identified only as David said this was not the first time he had taken part in a road safety protest in Taiwan. He attributed the poor road safety environment in Taiwan to "the government's incompetence in enforcing related laws."