Beginning March 2018, motorists in Taiwan convicted of drunk driving will be required to pay a higher punitive premium for compulsory automobile liability insurance, according to the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC).
From NTD2,100 (US$69), the premium will increase to NTD3,600 (US$119) for each violation. According to the FSC, this is to reflect the rising cost of compensation for victims of accidents caused by drunk driving. There is no limit to the number of times violators can be slapped with the punitive premium, reports
Focus Taiwan.
The punitive premium system was first introduced in 2014. As of July 2017, more than 67,000 motorists had been penalised and made to pay the punitive premiums on top of their regular motor insurance bill, which currently costs NTD1,866 (US$62) annually for men and NTD1,457 (US$48) for women.
It seems as though the system has been effective in discouraging repeat offences - more than 66,000 drunk drivers were only charged once, while only 1,320 were repeat offenders. Sixty-six motorists were arrested three times, while 24 were four-time offenders.
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