BY KHT Staff. AI image for illustrative purposes only.
KAOHSIUNG — A father of two who was fined NT$24,000 for suddenly slowing down on a highway has had the penalty overturned after a court ruled the maneuver was a reasonable response to a safety concern involving a child in the back seat.
According to court documents, the driver, surnamed Liao, was traveling eastbound on National Freeway 4 near the 18.1-kilometer mark on Oct. 21, 2024, when he slowed abruptly and was later reported by a driver behind him for “sudden deceleration,” a violation under Taiwan’s road traffic regulations.
The Kaohsiung Motor Vehicles Office, under the Highway Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, fined Liao NT$24,000 and ordered him to attend a road safety course under Article 43 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act.
Liao challenged the penalty in court, explaining that he was driving with two young children when one of them suddenly pulled the rear door handle while the vehicle was moving. Concerned that the door might open, and with a tunnel approaching and vehicles in the outer lane preventing an immediate pull-over, he slowed down while looking for a safe place to stop.
Judges from the Kaohsiung branch of the Kaohsiung High Administrative Court reviewed video footage submitted as evidence and found that while Liao did reduce speed suddenly, he immediately activated his left turn signal and moved toward a roadside emergency bay to stop briefly and check the situation before continuing.
The court ruled that the law against sudden deceleration is intended to prevent drivers from arbitrarily creating dangerous conditions for vehicles behind them. In this case, however, Liao’s actions were deemed a necessary response to an unexpected situation involving passenger safety rather than reckless driving.
The ruling also highlighted another key factor: the distance maintained by the driver who filed the report. According to the footage, the reporting vehicle was traveling at about 85–90 km/h, which would normally require a safe following distance of roughly 42 to 45 meters. Judges found that the vehicle did not maintain that distance.
Had the following driver kept the appropriate gap, the court noted, the slowdown would likely not have posed a significant risk.
The court therefore canceled the fine and the required safety course and ordered the transportation authority to cover the litigation costs. The case can still be appealed.
Source: TVBS
