Drug-Impaired Driving Rampant; Hou Yu-ih Calls for Source Prevention and Stricter Penalties

Central News Agency, New Taipei, May 28. New Taipei City Councilors raised concerns about drug-impaired driving today. Mayor Hou Yu-ih stated that beyond catching offenders at the end of the chain, it is crucial to strengthen source-based crime prevention. He suggested measures such as seizing vehicles upon the first offense and imposing heavier penalties for repeat offenders, urging the central government to establish a task force to suppress crime from the front end. During the KMT caucus's general municipal interpellation, Councilor Tsai Shu-chun pointed out the recent surge in the new drug 'etomidate,' which has caused casualties, and criticized drug-impaired driving severely. Councilor Chen Wei-chieh noted multiple serious accidents this week, questioning the city's systematic response. Police Chief Fang Yang-ning stated that since the implementation of saliva drug testing last November, the city has supported the effort with 20 million TWD in reserve funds, ensuring no shortage of test kits. Fang noted that New Taipei has the highest number of drug-impaired driving arrests in the country as of May 27, emphasizing that street-level interception is merely symptomatic treatment, and root-cause eradication is essential. Mayor Hou stated that New Taipei had urged the central government to regulate etomidate before it was officially classified as a drug. He argued that drug-impaired driving is a social destabilizer and should be treated with stricter legislation than drunk driving. Regarding the proposal for corporal punishment, he noted it is worth discussing, as 'chaotic times require heavy penalties.' The police department also promised to cover the repair costs for a citizen who helped intercept a suspect in Linkou.