TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Freeway Bureau (高速公路局) issued an urgent safety warning Wednesday (March 26) after documenting a sharp increase in highway fatalities linked to unbuckled seat belts. Recent data shows that 38% of deadly crashes through February 2025 involved victims who weren't wearing seat belts, marking a concerning jump from 25% in the previous year. Officials characterized the trend as "deeply troubling" and called for immediate public action to reverse it.
By late February, the bureau had recorded eight A1 fatal accidents — crashes resulting in death within 24 hours — that claimed 13 lives across Taiwan's highway network. Five of these victims were not wearing seat belts at the time of impact. This continues a disturbing pattern from 2024, when 20 of 81 highway fatalities involved unbuckled occupants. Transportation safety experts noted that unrestrained passengers often become dangerous projectiles during collisions, frequently being ejected through windows or windshields.
Scientific research underscores the life-saving potential of seat belts, with studies showing unbuckled passengers face a mortality rate 3.6 times higher than their properly restrained counterparts. The Freeway Bureau emphasized that Taiwan's "Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act" (道路交通管理處罰條例) imposes substantial penalties for non-compliance. Drivers caught without seat belts face fines between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000 (around US$91 to US$182), while those failing to secure children in appropriate safety seats can be penalized NT$1,500 to NT$3,000 (around US$45 to US$91).
In response to the alarming statistics, the Freeway Bureau has formally requested that the National Highway Police Bureau (國道公路警察局) launch targeted enforcement operations against seat belt violations throughout Taiwan's extensive highway network. "This is fundamentally about saving lives, not collecting fines," a bureau representative explained. The agency's public awareness campaign emphasizes that properly secured seat belts provide critical protection during the violent forces of a collision, potentially preventing ejection from the vehicle and reducing the severity of injuries for all occupants, regardless of seating position.
