Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) has steeply increased compulsory motor liability insurance premiums for motorists caught driving while under the influence of alcohol.
The increase, which is effective March 01, tacks on an additional NTD3,600 (US$123.50) for each time a motorist has been found to have violated anti-drunk-driving regulations.
According to a report by Focus Taiwan, the FSC has decided to increase premiums as its last round of increases failed to curb the number of casualties caused by drunk driving. In 2014, the FSC added NTD2,100 (US$72) to the premium for each drunk driving offence.
At present, compulsory motor liability insurance for drivers aged 25-30 is currently at NTD1,866 (US$64) a year for males and NTD1,457(US$50) for females, according to FSC data.
According to the regulator, the premium will be adjusted based on the number of times a driver has been caught drunk in the previous year, with no ceiling.
Data from the National Police Agency showed that an average of 200 people were killed and over 10,000 people were injured in car accidents caused by drunk drivers for each year from 2009 to 2017.
