News
MOTC reports drop in traffic accidents
Courtesy of ICRT
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) says data shows that traffic accidents between January and April of this year declined by 4.8% compared to the same period last year. According to the ministry, a total of 128,003 traffic accidents were reported over the first four months of this year.
The number of traffic accident-related fatalities from January to April stood at 982. That figure was a decline of 5.5% from last year while the number of traffic accident-related injuries was down by 5.3% from the first four months of last year.
The transport ministry says Hsinchu City saw the most pedestrian deaths. Yunlin County had the highest number of drunk driving related deaths while Taipei and Pingtung had the highest number of motorcycle-related traffic deaths. However, Taipei had the least pedestrian deaths from between January and April of this year.
In related news, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is encouraging public participation in government efforts to make streets safer. MOI Minister Liu Shyh-fang says the government is launching a "Street Doctor" online platform, which allows citizens to directly participate in road improvement. Liu says the platform allows registered users to report problematic areas and propose possible solutions or ideas to resolve the issue and improve safety. The minister says the top 10 proposals with the highest number of votes in each district will be taken up and fully funded by the government. The platform will also provide regular updates on the progress of these improvement projects.
Minister Liu says citizen opinions and ideas are extremely valuable in this public-participation-based approach, and help the government create people-centred street environments.
