Wrong-Way Crash Injures Four; Saliva Test Finds Driver Positive for Methamphetamine

A wrong-way collision in New Taipei City injured four people after a 55-year-old man suddenly crossed a double yellow line and drove into oncoming traffic, police said.

The man, identified by his surname Tsou, was driving his own car along Lide Road in Tucheng District toward Jincheng Road at about 1 a.m. He crossed the center lines near Lane 74 and struck a sport utility vehicle driven by a 40-year-old man, identified by his surname Lee, who was traveling toward Qingyun Road.

The impact left Tsou trapped inside his car because the door had been badly deformed. Officers used a police baton to break the window and opened the vehicle so firefighters could pull him out. Tsou suffered abrasions to all four limbs. Lee and two passengers in his vehicle sustained chest and eye injuries, as well as abrasions across their bodies. Doctors found that none of the four faced a life-threatening condition.

Police tested both drivers after the crash. Lee recorded a zero result in a breath-alcohol test, while Tsou tested positive for methamphetamine in a rapid saliva screening. Officers arrested him and cited him for crossing the double yellow line and other violations. After questioning, police sent him for prosecution on suspicion of a public danger offense.

Tucheng police warned that drug use can impair awareness and urged drivers not to drive under the influence. They said they would continue targeting drugs and drugged driving to improve road safety.

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Drug use seriously harms personal health, and when the effects take hold it can easily lead to impaired awareness. Do not drive under the influence and harm yourself or others.