TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei District Court has rejected a physician’s appeal to overturn the six-month suspension of his vehicle’s license plate after he was caught speeding at 161 kph in a 100 kph zone while rushing to tend to a medical emergency in June.
The court ruling said that the appellant, surnamed Sung (宋), is a resident physician at a large hospital in Taipei, CNA reported. When he was on vacation in his hometown in June, he received calls from the hospital notifying him that one of his patients was in shock and was receiving first aid.
Upon learning of his patient’s condition, Sung immediately headed for the Taipei hospital on National Highway No. 1 very early in the morning on June 19. At the 117.7 kilometer mark, he was photographed by a speed camera driving at 161 kph.
The National Highway Police Bureau gave Sung a ticket for speeding, and the Taipei City Traffic Adjudication Office suspended his car license plate for six months. Sung filed an appeal, per CNA.
Sung claimed that he was speeding back to the hospital because his patient was suffering from shock and receiving emergency treatment, and that he was so anxious to get back to the hospital he did not notice the speed limit. He said he was willing to accept fines and attend road safety lectures.
However, Sung maintained that due to his work needs, and due to the lack of public transportation available at night or in counties and cities outside Taipei, he hoped the court could revoke the original punishment.
The Taipei District Court pointed out that although the Administrative Penalty Act stipulates that the punishment can be reduced or exempted in the event of an emergency situation, the measures taken in such a situation should be the only and necessary recourse that causes the least damage.
The court argued that Sung drove at a speed of 161 kph, and the speed limit of the road was 100 kph, so he could have caused serious traffic accidents and heavy casualties.
The court rejected Sung’s appeal on the grounds that the measures taken were not the only and necessary recourse that would cause the least damage, CNA reported, adding that the case can still be appealed.
