• By Lin Che-yuan / Journalist

A member of Control Yuan said yesterday it would launch an investigation to determine why the number of foreign nationals injured or killed in road accidents has almost doubled in recent years, and whether government agencies’ mechanisms were ineffective in ensure road safety.

Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華), a member of Control Yuan, said in a press release that Taiwan has been described as “pedestrian hell” and that traffic safety has become an important national security issue.

According to a National Audit Office report released last year, more than 780,000 foreign nationals were legally residing in Taiwan in 2019, which increased to more than 850,000 people last year, an increase of 8.5 percent. she declared.

Photo: Taipei Times

However, data compiled by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) showed that while 6,213 foreign nationals were killed or injured in road incidents in 2019, the number increased significantly to 12,021 in the year. last, an increase of 93.48%.

The increase in the number of injuries or deaths from road accidents among foreign nationals in Taiwan is far greater than the increase in population, she said.

Most of the victims are nationals of Vietnam, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries, and the majority of road incidents have occurred in urban areas where there are more migrant workers, such as Taoyuan and Taichung, she explained.

This indicates possible deficiencies in the road safety promotion and incident prevention mechanisms of the MOTC, the Ministry of Labor and local governments, he added.

Data compiled by the National Police Agency showed that in recent years, motorcyclist victims accounted for more than 60 percent of all road accident victims, she said.

MOTC data also showed that the majority of traffic incidents involving foreign nationals last year involved motorcycles, she said.

Data compiled by the Highway Bureau in 2019 showed that people are more likely to commit a traffic offense within a year of getting their driving license if they have never taken a driving course. conduct, compared to those who did it.

Statistics have shown the importance of taking driving lessons, Yeh said, adding that the Roads Bureau launched a motorcycle driving lessons subsidy program in 2019 to improve road safety and help young people, including foreign nationals, to take driving lessons.

However, only 7,146 foreign nationals took motorcycle driving lessons between 2019 and last year, while 105,570 foreign nationals took the motorcycle driving license test without lessons, she said.