Made with Waterproof Material, Detailed Offense Records Included
"A Measure to Eradicate Drunk Driving by Inducing Shame"
The capital city of Taiwan, Taipei, has decided to publicly display enlarged photos of habitual drunk drivers to raise awareness about drunk driving.
On the 17th, local media such as Taiwan Central News Agency and United Daily News reported that Taipei's transportation authorities will post flyers containing photos of individuals who have committed drunk or drugged driving or refused breathalyzer tests three or more times on neighborhood and police station bulletin boards.
The facial photos will be enlarged seven times to make them easily noticeable, and the flyers will be made of waterproof material to prevent damage from water or wear.
The actual flyers include detailed information such as the number of drunk driving offenses, dates, and locations of the incidents. The top of the flyer is titled "Taipei City List of Offenders with Three or More Accumulated Drunk/Drug Driving and Test Refusal Violations."
The authorities explained that this measure aims to strengthen the prevention of repeat offenses by inducing a sense of shame in the offenders and to eradicate drunk driving.
Public flyer revealing a citizen caught for "3rd DUI offense" in Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan. Screenshot from the Taipei City Department of Transportation website.
Other city council members have also expressed support for this measure. In particular, Li Jung-tai, head of the Traffic Violation Processing Department in New Taipei City, stated, "We will consider whether to introduce similar measures after observing the results of Taipei City's implementation."
Previously, in 2022, the Taiwanese government implemented an amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act to prevent drunk driving accidents and strengthen penalties by publicly disclosing the faces of drunk drivers.
Accordingly, drunk drivers caught twice within 10 years in Taiwan will have their faces, names, and violations publicly disclosed. Additionally, their vehicle license plates will be confiscated for two years. Even if there is no prior record of drunk driving, if the driver causes serious injury or death, the vehicle will be confiscated according to relevant laws.
Furthermore, passengers aged 18 or older who ride in a drunk driving vehicle will be held jointly responsible and may be fined up to 15,000 New Taiwan Dollars (approximately 640,000 KRW). Drinking alcohol before a police breathalyzer test is also considered intentional refusal and will be punished.
In particular, when caught drunk driving, the driver must attach a fluorescent-colored license plate to their vehicle for one year. This makes it immediately clear to anyone from a distance that "this vehicle's driver has a history of drunk driving," which is known to have a strong preventive effect.
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