Published: 2026/8/10 19:40
Updated: 2026/8/11 11:05
Chen Huanyu, Cai Mingxiao / Local Report
Illegal parking has led to serious accidents. However, after the 2024 amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, some illegal parking behaviors will be classified as minor offenses and not allowed to be reported, leading some drivers to adopt a sense of lucky ,or a belief that they can get away with it). But with the increase in traffic accidents caused by illegal parking in recent years, some members of the public proposed in July on a public policy online participation platform to treat malicious illegal parking as dangerous driving, increasing administrative, criminal, and civil liability. Road rights groups and scholars believe that heavy penalties have some effect, but it is still necessary to start with road and road network planning and education to meet road use needs from the source and establish correct concepts.
A minivan was illegally parked side-by-side in the slow lane. A motorcyclist swerved to avoid it, colliding with the bus and tragically dying. This accident, which occurred in Pingtung in 2019, resulted in the driver of the illegally parked vehicle being sentenced to six months in prison for both negligent homicide and hit-and-run.
Yu Weijin, a squad leader of the Pingtung County Police Bureau’s Traffic Division, stated on March 7, 2022, “After the incident, the driver believed the case was unrelated to her and left the scene, so the police listed her as a party involved.”
Illegal parking, such as side-by-side parking, is commonplace. Even when accidents occur, drivers often don’t realize their mistake. The Legislative Yuan amended the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act in 2024, removing the reporting function for violations such as side-by-side parking, parking within 10 meters of bridges, tunnels, fast lanes, intersections, and within 5 meters of fire truck entrances. Although some members of the public suggested abolishing this amendment, it failed to pass due to insufficient votes.
Lin Yung-hsuan, chairman of the Tainan City Human-Centered Transportation Promotion Association, pointed out, “Issuing fines is the last resort. Before that, a driver’s license retraining system is essential. Furthermore, the government should also conduct statistics and planning to address the parking demand, instead of simply marking lines and leaving it to drivers to handle.”
Road rights groups believe that, in the long run, the government should expand sidewalks, parking spaces, and even public transportation networks to meet the different road usage needs in various regions.
However, some members of the public proposed on a public policy online participation platform in July to treat malicious illegal parking as dangerous driving, increasing administrative, criminal, and civil liability.
Wang Po-Chi, associate professor of the Department of Criminal Justice at Ming Chuan University, stated, “Increasing the penalties for drunk driving or drug driving might have a deterrent effect. Some parts of traffic regulations and the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act may be considered administrative penalties. Whether increasing penalties will have a deterrent effect, or whether they will actually be effective, remains to be seen after implementation and discussion.”
Scholars believe that heavy penalties have limited effectiveness and suggest that education should go hand in hand. In addition to strengthening enforcement, relevant prevention and traffic safety concepts should be implemented through education to establish correct concepts and reduce violations from the source.