Higher penalties sought for drug driving 針對毒駕尋求實施更嚴厲的罰則 By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would propose an amendment to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) that would revoke licenses of drug users, ban drug-impaired drivers from taking the license test for three years and imposepenalties on their passengers.
It made the announcement after consulting officials from the Judicial Yuan, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the National Police Agency last month on tackling the rise of drug-impaired cases.
Currently, drug-impaired drivers would have their licenses suspended for one to two years.
Drug-impaired drivers face administrative and criminalpunishment, the transportationministry said, adding that authorities would prioritizepursuingcriminalliability.
Aside fromimposing stricter penalties on drug-impaired drivers, the amendment would also stipulate that users of Category 1 and Category 2 narcotics — including heroin, morphine, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana — would have their driver’s licenses revoked and be barred from reapplying for a specifiedperiod, even if they were not caught driving, the transportationministry said.
Consumers of Category 3 and Category 4 narcotics, including ketamine, flunitrazepam, zolpidem and alprazolam, would have their driver’s licensesuspended, it added.
The amendment would also raise fines for first-time drug-impaired driving offenders, while passengers aged 18 or older who knowingly ride with drug-impaired drivers would also be subject topenalties, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, drivers whose licenses were revoked or suspendeddue todrug-impaired driving would only be allowed to renew their licenses or take the license test again if they undergodrugaddictiontreatment or drug-hazard courses and do not use drugs for a specified time period, the ministry said.
It said before the amendment to the act is completed, it would revise the Road Traffic Safety Rules (道路交通安全規則), which would require drivers who are confirmed to have used illicitdrugs to completemandatorytreatment or educational courses and meet certainrequirements for a specifiedperiod before being permitted to renew or reapply for a driver’s license.
Such a revision does not need legislativeapproval.
Separately, saliva tests might soon be administered in the nation’s primary, junior-high and high schools starting in the next fall semester to detect etomidate, an anestheticdrug that has been increasingly used in e-cigarette cartridges.
tomidate, also known as “zombievapes,” is an emergingillegaldrug.
Schools have already administered or scheduled ad hoc urine tests to students who had been found using drugs or had been suspended, Ministry of Education Department of Student Affairs Director-General Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said.
“However, some students would dilute the urine test samples or swap them with tea to concealdrug use.
Meanwhile, emergingdrugs are metabolized relatively quickly in the body.
As such, we are considering using saliva tests as an auxiliary screening tool, which helps simplifyadministrativeprocedures and enable timely access to counselingresources,” Tsai said.
If a salivascreening yields a positive result, it must be confirmed by a urine test before being reported through the campus safety reporting system, she said.
revoke|(v.) 撤銷、廢除 這個字常與 license (執照)、visa (簽證) 搭配使用。在新聞中,交通部擬修法「撤銷/吊銷」吸毒者的駕照。 • The company revoked his access to the internal system after he resigned. (他辭職後,公司撤銷了他進入內部系統的權限。) • If you break the rules, your gym membership might be revoked. (如果你違反規定,你的健身房會員資格可能會被取消。)
imposepenalties on...|(phr.) 對...處以懲罰/罰款 impose 帶有「強制實行」的意思,常跟 penalty (懲罰)、tax (稅) 或 fine (罰款) 搭配,是新聞與法規中極常出現的精準用詞。 • The manager imposedstrictpenalties on employees who leaked confidential information. (經理對洩漏機密資訊的員工祭出嚴厲的懲罰。)
suspend|(v.) 暫停、中止、勒令停職/停學 這個字在新聞中出現兩種常見情境,一是駕照被「扣留/暫停」使用,二是學生被勒令「停學」。 • The construction project has been suspendeddue to a severelack of funding. (因為嚴重缺乏資金,這項建設專案已經被暫停了。) • The student was suspended from school for three days for fighting. (那名學生因為打架被學校勒令停學三天。)
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mandatory|(adj.) 強制的、義務的 多益必考字!常搭配 training (訓練) 或 meeting (會議)。新聞中指吸毒駕駛未來必須完成「強制治療」(mandatorytreatment) 才能重新考照。 • Wearing a seatbelt is mandatory when driving or riding in a car in Taiwan. (在台灣,開車或乘車強制必須繫安全帶。)
conceal|(v.) 隱藏、隱瞞 同義詞是 hide,但 conceal 比較正式,常用於隱瞞真相、藏匿物品或情緒等。新聞中提到學生可能會用茶水替換尿液以「隱瞞」吸毒事實。 • He tried to conceal his critical mistakes from the boss, but eventually failed. (他試圖向老闆隱瞞他的重大錯誤,但最終還是失敗了。) • She wore a large pair of sunglasses to conceal her tired eyes. (她戴著一副大墨鏡來掩飾疲憊的雙眼。)