Legislature passes tougher penalties for drug-impaired driving

Taipei, July 28 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday passed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act that impose tougher penalties for driving under the influence of narcotics.

The amendments, proposed by the Executive Yuan on June 18, replace the current penalty of a one- to two-year driver's license suspension with license revocation and a three-year ban on reapplying for a license.

Those who cause major injury or death while driving under the influence of narcotics will have their licenses revoked for life.

Drug-impaired driving will also carry higher fines, with first-time offenders facing fines of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,626) for driving a car and NT$120,000 for riding a motorcycle.

Repeat offenders will face progressively higher penalties, with an additional NT$90,000 added to the fine imposed for each subsequent offense and no upper limit on the accumulated amount.

Drivers who refuse drug impairment tests will face fines of NT$270,000 for a first offense and NT$540,000 for a second offense. For a third and each subsequent offense, another NT$180,000 will be added to the previous fine, with no cap on the total amount.

Those who refuse testing will also have their licenses revoked and be barred from reapplying for three years.

In both drug-impaired driving and test refusal cases, police will immediately impound the vehicle at the scene, regardless of whether it belongs to the driver.

The amendments also introduce fines of NT$6,000 to NT$15,000 for passengers aged 18 or older riding with a driver whom they know to be under the influence of narcotics.

In addition, police may preemptively revoke the driver's licenses of individuals confirmed to have used narcotics or other controlled substances as a preventive measure. Those individuals will be barred from reapplying for two years.

Before becoming eligible for a new license, they must complete drug addiction treatment and education programs and have a record of being free of drug use for at least one year.

People caught driving after their licenses have been revoked for drug-impaired driving will face fines of NT$36,000, up from the current NT$12,000, with no upper limit for repeat violations. Their vehicles will also be confiscated.

The amendments also strengthen penalties for operators of slow-moving vehicles, such as bicycles and pedal-assist electric bicycles with a maximum speed of 25 kilometers per hour and weighing no more than 40 kilograms.

Riding such vehicles under the influence of narcotics will carry fines of NT$2,400 to NT$12,000. Those who refuse a drug test will be fined NT$24,000 and prohibited from continuing to ride the vehicle on the spot.

In its June 18 proposal, the Executive Yuan said the amendments were prompted by the growing number of drug-impaired driving cases. It noted that narcotics use is a criminal offense and argued that driving under the influence of drugs poses even greater risks than drunk driving.