Zero Tolerance for Drug-Impaired Driving: Taiwan's Ministry of Justice Initiates Legal Reforms

In response to frequent drug-impaired driving incidents, Taiwan's Ministry of Justice announced on the 25th that it will initiate legal reforms and strengthen enforcement. Measures include increasing penalties, tightening parole requirements, mandatory forfeiture of vehicles used in crimes, cracking down on drug networks, supervising appropriate sentencing by courts, and strictly reviewing applications for fines in lieu of imprisonment. The Ministry stated that drug-impaired driving causes innocent casualties and destroys families, leaving victims and their families with permanent pain. To implement a criminal policy of strictly punishing drug-impaired driving, the Ministry will actively draft legal amendments. The Ministry explained that it will comprehensively increase penalties for various types of drug-impaired driving, including simple cases, cases resulting in death or serious injury, and repeat offenses. It will also review parole thresholds to act as a deterrent. Furthermore, the Ministry is considering legal amendments to make the forfeiture of vehicles used in drug-impaired driving mandatory, regardless of ownership, to prevent such behavior. The Ministry has directed the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office to integrate six major anti-drug agencies—prosecutors, investigation bureaus, police, coast guard, military police, and customs—to trace and crack down on drug sources. Prosecutors have been instructed to prosecute drug-impaired driving cases swiftly and severely, request detention where applicable, and supervise appropriate sentencing. The Ministry emphasized that drug-impaired driving is a severe threat to traffic safety and families, and law enforcement will handle these cases with zero tolerance.