Traffic-Related Deaths and Injuries of Foreign Nationals in Taiwan Nearly Double Over Five Years.

TAIPEI: A member of Taiwan's supervisory branch of government announced Monday the initiation of an investigation following data revelations showing a near doubling in the number of foreign nationals killed or injured in traffic accidents from 2019 to 2023. "Traffic safety has become an important issue of national security," stated Control Yuan member Yeh Ta-hua, referencing data from multiple agencies including the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), the National Police Agency, and the Ministry of Labor (MOL). According to Focus Taiwan, the number of foreign nationals involved in traffic accidents rose from 6,213 in 2019 to 12,021 in 2023, marking an increase of 93.48 percent. In contrast, the foreign national population in Taiwan only grew by approximately 8.5 percent, from around 780,000 to 850,000 during the same period. This discrepancy suggests that the rise in traffic incidents involving foreign nationals significantly outpaces the population growth of this demographic in Taiwan. Ye h noted that Vietnamese and Indonesians constitute the largest groups of non-Taiwanese individuals affected by these traffic incidents. Furthermore, cities like Taoyuan and Taichung, known for their substantial populations of foreign workers, reported the highest rates of traffic accidents involving foreign nationals. An investigation is underway to assess potential improvements in inter-agency cooperation mechanisms. The effort aims to address identified "deficiencies" in preventing traffic-related deaths and injuries among foreign nationals, Yeh added.