“Well, you see Officer…”
By William T Hoehn
Despite your best efforts for safety on your motorcycle or scooter, odds are that you will be involved in an accident. With the density of scooters in Taiwan, there is almost no way to avoid this unfortunate possibility.
The MOTC reports the total number of accidents reported in 2022 was 375,632, resulting in a total of 490,887 injuries. Motorcycle rider fatalities constituted 63% of the total number of road deaths at 1,954.
It is therefore imperative that riders know what to do after the event.
Remember, the police are your friends. They do not assign blame or responsibility for the accidents. They are there to help the victims and to record the scene.
Here is an outline of procedures to follow.
Don’t panic…
Don’t get angry...
Don’t claim responsibility...
Don’t assign blame…
Keep cool
1. Scenario One: There are injuries or casualties
● Call 119 and request immediate aid
● Do not move or touch the injured party. If you are injured, lie still.
● If the accident took place in a vehicle lane or road shoulder, put up a warning sign or in some way signal traffic that they need to steer clear. (Foldable accident triangles are available)
● Do not move anything at the accident scene. The police will come to mark and measure the location of everything involved in the incident.
2. Scenario Two: There are no injuries or casualties
● Call 119 for assistance, and wait for police to arrive and manage the interview process.
● If the vehicle can be driven and all parties agree to move the vehicles, all traces, evidence and the vehicles can be moved so as not to interfere with traffic.
● Make sure you photograph and video everything on the site before moving anything.
3. Scenario Three: There are no injuries or fatalities AND all parties agree to a settlement on site
● Although the police do not need to be called, it is best to report a case to the police whether it is serious or not. There are two reasons for this:
● Even though you wouldn’t apply for a liability appraisal after reporting a minor accident, you can still apply for the police report from the department after the accident. This way, if your settlement unfortunately ends up going to court, you will have one extra piece of evidence available.
● If you want to apply for an official accident “liability appraisal” from the "Traffic Adjudication Office" or "Traffic Accident Investigation Committee," then the case must have been handled by the police. This means that if you have a car accident, make a record of the accident yourself, and try to privately negotiate and settle, then should those negotiations later fall through, you will not be able to ask those government organizations to help you evaluate liability.
For more information, check out
https://international.thenewslens.com/article/107058
https://english.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=8C75E1A61A484762&s=72692A8EF8C0743A
