TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Legislative Yuan Tuesday (May 14) passed amendments to stop the public reporting of several minor traffic violations. 

The third reading of amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) passed the legislature limiting the number of violations the public can report, but retaining categories such as riding scooters without helmets, parking violations on sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, and occupying designated parking spaces for the disabled. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said the new regulations would go into effect as early as June.

Last June, new traffic regulations allowed the public to report 13 traffic violations, leading to opposition from professional drivers such as taxi drivers due to stricter point systems. On March 7, the Cabinet approved draft amendments proposed by the MOTC, which excluded 10 minor violations that incurred fines of NT$1,200 (US$37) or less from public reporting. 

Infractions that can no longer be reported include riding a scooter while holding a mobile phone, smoking by drivers affecting others' road safety, reversing without displaying lights or paying attention to pedestrians, and reversing large vehicles without someone guiding from behind. The amendments also specify that temporary parking will not be subject to public reporting in various locations, including on bridges, in tunnels, at roundabouts, facing obstacles, or on express lanes.

The public can also not report vehicles temporarily parked within 10 meters of intersections and bus stops, five meters from fire truck entrances, and in front of entrances or fire hydrants at airports, stations, docks, schools, entertainment venues, exhibitions, sports venues, markets, or other public places.

The amendments specify that violation penalty points will be restricted to instances where the police can confirm the driver's identity on the spot and exclude direct reporting, traffic enforcement technology, and public reporting. It also amends the frequency of point deductions for attending road traffic safety lectures from deducting two points once a year, to subtracting four points twice a year.