《TAIPEI TIMES》 Passenger fined for riding with alleged drunk driver

NEW PENALTIES: The government has launched a crackdown on DUI and the Taipei Police Department is participating with 400 officers at 99 checkpoints

By Yao Yueh-hung, Tsai Szu-pei and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writer and CNA

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Taipei police yesterday fined a person traveling in a vehicle driven by an alleged drunk driver, a first in the nation, as new traffic laws imposing stiffer penalties on driving under the influence （DUI） took effect.

The amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act （道路交通管理處罰條例）, which were passed in March, stipulate fines of up to NT$90,000 for first-time DUI offenders and for passengers who travel in vehicles driven by people under the influence.

The fine was issued at a checkpoint in Neihu District （內湖） at 1:26pm, the National Police Agency said, adding that the driver had a blood alcohol level of 0.26 milligrams per liter （mg/L）.

A scooter driver in Songshang District （松山） was handed over to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for public endangerment, after allegedly trying to evade police and having a blood alcohol level 0.42mg/L, the agency said.

The Taipei Police Department dispatched about 400 officers overnight to 99 checkpoints in the city as part of a nationwide crackdown on DUI that is to run through tomorrow, it said, adding that drivers who refuse to take a breath test face a maximum fine of NT$180,000.

In other news, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Environmental Protection has begun inspecting the establishments included in the first phase of a nationwide ban on plastic straws, which took effect yesterday.

In the first stage, schools, department stores, fast-food restaurants and establishments in the public sector are prohibited from providing single-use plastic straws to on-site customers as part of the government’s goal of reducing the use of plastics.

The department is checking 549 establishments in the four categories to ensure compliance, department official Tsui Hao-chih （崔浩志） said.

The department has sent notices to the establishments, and briefed them on the new policy to make sure that they understand and observe the ban, he said.

The department has also provided the establishments with posters and stickers to display on their premises to inform customers of the ban, Tsui added.

First-time offenders would be issued a warning, after which repeat offenses would result in a fine of NT$1,200 to NT$6,000, he said.

Customers are encouraged to drink their beverages straight from the cup or use disposable paper straws, or reusable silicon, bamboo or stainless steel straws to reduce the use of plastics, Tsui said.

Premier Su Tseng-chang （蘇貞昌） yesterday posted a video on the Line messaging app, showing how to use a paper straw to drink pearl milk tea.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES