Elderly traffic fatalities rise 3%, ministry says

IMPROVEMENT: The number of motorcycle-related fatalities in the first eight months of this year fell 17.1 percent from 2023, ministry data showed

• By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter

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The number of people aged 65 or older who died within 30 days of a traffic incident rose 3 percent year-on-year to 790 in the first eight months of this year, despite an overall decline in road fatalities, Ministry of Transportation and Communications data released yesterday showed.

The total number of deaths within 30 days of a traffic incident fell 2.8 percent to 1,777 in the January-to-August period from a year earlier, and was down 10.7 percent from the same period in 2023, the ministry said.

In the first seven months of this year, traffic fatalities among people aged 65 or older increased 5 percent, or 33 more than the same period last year, but for the first eight months, it was only a 3 percent rise, or 23 more deaths compared with the same period last year, Department of Railways, Highways and Road Safety Director-General Wu Tung-ling (吳東凌) told a news conference in Taipei.

People walk on a pedestrian crossing in Taipei in an undated photograph.

Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times

Deaths in the age group were highest in motorcycle-related incidents and incidents involving pedestrians, he said.

Among the three administrative regions that recorded the largest increases in elderly traffic deaths, the year-to-date increase in Taoyuan fell from 25 through July to 23 through August, the data showed.

In Hualien County, that figure fell from 13 to 11 for the two periods, while in Taichung, it rose from 14 to 20, the data showed.

Wu urged families to pay close attention to the safety of elderly relatives when they are on the road.

Overall, road safety indicators showed improvement, the ministry said.

In the first eight months of this year, motorcycle-related deaths fell by 217, or 17.1 percent, from the same period in 2023, while fatalities among children and teenagers declined by 29, or 52.7 percent, and deaths in drunk-driving incidents dropped by 99, or 56.6 percent.

Separately, 1,132 people died in “A1” traffic incidents — defined as those resulting in death at the scene or within 24 hours — in the first nine months of this year, down 14.2 percent from 2023 and 6.4 percent from last year.

Meanwhile, 377,039 people were injured in A2 traffic incidents — those resulting in injuries or deaths occurring more than 24 hours later — in the first nine months, down 6.1 percent from 2023 and 4 percent from last year.

Twenty-three fatalities involving drug-driving incidents were recorded in the first six months of this year, while 11 deaths were recorded in July and August, after the National Police Agency broadened the statistical definition, the ministry said.

However, road deaths within 30 days of an incident reached 177 in New Taipei City and 74 on national highways in the first eight months of this year, showing an upward trend compared with the same period in 2023 and last year, the ministry said.

Wu said that secondary collisions on highways were a growing concern, with six such incidents reported in August.

Motorists involved in crashes should move to a safe location away from traffic when possible, he said.

In incidents involving only property damage, drivers should photograph the scene and move their vehicles to a safe location before reporting the incident, rather than waiting for police to arrive, he added.