DistantNews
Support us
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Taiwan /Crime & Justice

Taiwan police arrest 155 for drugged driving in nationwide sweep

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Taiwan's National Police Agency mobilized approximately 5,000 officers nationwide for a special operation to crack down on drunk and drugged driving.
  • The operation resulted in the apprehension of 155 individuals for drugged driving and 129 for drunk driving, with vehicles also impounded.
  • The agency emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards drugged driving, highlighting its severe danger and the increased effectiveness of recent testing methods.

Taiwan's National Police Agency orchestrated a nationwide sweep targeting drugged and drunk drivers, deploying around 5,000 officers in a coordinated effort on Thursday evening. The operation aimed to demonstrate the agency's resolve in preventing impaired driving and ensuring road safety.

Regarding drugged driving violations, 155 cases and 155 individuals were cited (including 12 cases of refusal to test), and 154 vehicles were impounded. Additionally, 129 cases and 129 individuals were cited for drunk driving (including 16 cases of refusal to test), and 121 vehicles were impounded.

โ€” National Police AgencyReporting the results of the nationwide crackdown on impaired driving.

During the extensive enforcement action, police apprehended 155 individuals for drugged driving offenses, including 12 who refused testing. Additionally, 129 individuals were cited for drunk driving, with 16 refusing tests. A total of 154 vehicles were impounded from the drugged driving arrests and 121 from the drunk driving arrests.

Agency Director Zhang Rong-hsing stressed a "zero tolerance" approach to drugged driving, calling it an "unpredictable bomb" on the roads. He highlighted that the danger posed by drugged driving is more severe than drunk driving, especially following recent serious accidents that caused casualties. The agency plans to continue strengthening enforcement and detection capabilities.

We will continue to strengthenๅ–็ท  (enforcement) actions and improveๆŸฅ็ท (investigation) capabilities, and absolutely will not allow drugged driving to become an unpredictable bomb on the roads.

โ€” Zhang Rong-hsingEmphasizing the agency's commitment to combating drugged driving.

Statistics from January to May 2024 show that police agencies nationwide transferred 6,730 drugged driving cases for prosecution. This represents a 2.8-fold increase compared to the same period in 2023, before the widespread use of rapid saliva testing kits. The agency noted that the positive predictive rate for cases confirmed by subsequent urine tests after a positive saliva screening is 100%, indicating high accuracy and effectiveness of the current testing mechanisms.

The danger of drugged driving is more severe than drunk driving, highlighting that drugged driving has become a major threat to road traffic safety.

โ€” National Police AgencyExplaining the rationale behind the intensified crackdown on drugged driving.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog