Protesters March in Taipei, Call for Measures To Protect Pedestrian Safety

TaiwanPlus News

Demonstrators in Taiwan are calling on the government to improve safety for pedestrians. Sunday's action was organized by civic groups and is supported by some of the country's smaller political parties.

Transcript

00:00Demonstrators set off from Taiwan's legislature, calling for unfit drivers to be banned from the roads.

00:09Led by civic groups and supported by some smaller political parties,

00:14they want the government to bring in new evaluation systems for drivers.

00:19Their march comes in the wake of a crash where a 78-year-old driver hit a busy intersection in New Taipei City,

00:27killing three people and injuring 12.

00:32It's not clear if his age was a factor,

00:35but demonstrators are also calling for better checks on senior motorists

00:40and a regular license renewal system for all drivers.

00:44This time's request is that there will be some requirements for driving when driving,

00:51and ensure that the driver has the ability to be safe to drive.

00:57When I walk on the road, I feel I'm a little insecure,

00:59because I don't know if the car will stop me.

01:02I just want the government to read the national transportation plan,

01:07and to do some changes in driving.

01:09Road safety has been a growing concern in Taiwan,

01:12which has been labeled a living hell for pedestrians.

01:16There's a lot of anger here among protesters over what they say is decades of failure by the government

01:23to reform the driver licensing system.

01:26Organizers are also calling for improvements to the design of Taiwan's roads.

01:32The government says it's taking measures to improve safety,

01:45including a plan to raise fines for drivers who hit pedestrians.

02:03But these marchers want deeper change,

02:06hoping to prevent any more tragedies on the roads.

02:10Justin Wu and Louise Watt for Taiwan Plus.

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