Nearly half of the traffic accidents among junior high school and high school vocational students in Hualien County were related to micro electric two-wheelers. According to statistics from the school safety bulletin of the Ministry of Education, from January 1 to August 31 this year, there were a total of 134 traffic accidents involving junior high school and high school vocational students in the county, of which 69 involved micro electric two-wheelers, accounting for 51.5%. The Hualien County Police Traffic Police Team stated today that it has established an inter-agency inspection mechanism with supervisory agencies and educational units to strictly investigate illegal modifications and dangerous riding.
Hualien has a lack of public transportation, few buses, and inconvenient transfers. Unless their parents pick them up or take taxis, many elementary and high school students have to rely on bicycles and trams to go to school. The police pointed out that among the 134 people, 44 were junior high school students and 90 were high school vocational students. Among those involved in micro electric two-wheelers, 16 were junior high school students, accounting for 36.4%, and 53 were high school vocational students, accounting for 58.9%. This shows that this vehicle has become the main vehicle used by students to get to school.
The Hualien County Government held a joint road traffic safety meeting in October and decided to comprehensively strengthen law enforcement and modification bans on micro electric two-wheelers. On November 3, the Traffic Police invited the Hualien Supervision Station of the Taipei District Supervision Office of the Highway Bureau, the Hualien County Student Off-Campus Life Counseling Committee, and the County Education Department to hold a "Meeting on the Prevention of Illegal Modifications and Speeding of Micro Electric Two-Wheelers" and established the two main axes of "illegal modification management" and "strengthening cross-agency joint inspection services."
According to police statistics, out of about 6,500 students in 12 high schools in the county, about 1,600 use mini electric two-wheelers as their daily means of communication. The police and the Supervision Station also conducted joint inspections around Hualien High-Tech on the 4th, targeting violations such as unauthorized modifications, failure to wear safety helmets, double loading, and failure to be insured and listed in accordance with regulations.
The police reminded that although micro electric two-wheelers do not require a driver's license, regulations stipulate that drivers must be at least 14 years old and the maximum driving speed must not exceed 25 kilometers per hour. In pursuit of speed, some teenagers privately modify the power or lift the speed limit. When encountering an emergency, it is easy to cause serious casualties due to unbalanced braking performance.
The police stated that they will strengthen law enforcement in the following three major areas: First, cooperate with the supervisory authority in special investigations, and strictly investigate illegal activities such as unauthorized modification of motor controllers, lifting speed limit devices, changing brakes and rearview mirrors; second, in areas prone to speeding, important arterial roads, and around campus. While expanding motorized inspections, we will strictly deal with dangerous riding such as snaking, racing, speeding and speeding; third, there is zero tolerance for drunk driving and drug driving. If the driver rides after drinking or taking drugs, in addition to being severely fined and having the vehicle moved and kept in accordance with the law, in serious cases, he will be brought to justice in accordance with the criminal law for public danger crimes.
The police also continue to visit campuses to conduct traffic safety promotions, conveying the latest laws and regulations, riding safety equipment and road hazard avoidance techniques for micro electric two-wheelers. They also call on parents to pay attention to their children's use of transportation at all times and not to allow children under 14 years old to ride on the road in violation of regulations. "Micro electric two-wheelers (commonly known as micro-scooters)" and "electrically-assisted bicycles (commonly known as electric-assisted bicycles)" are often called interchangeably in appearance. Micro-electric bicycles are similar to small motorcycles, with no turning pedals, and the maximum output power is less than 1,000 watts; while electric-assisted bicycles are similar to ordinary bicycles, with a maximum output power of less than 400 watts. The legal maximum speed of both is 25km/h.
