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Taiwan Cracks Down on Drug Driving With Fines Up to NT$270,000

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Taiwan will confiscate vehicles and fine drivers up to NT$270,000 for refusing drug tests, after 23 people died in drug-driving incidents in early 2025.

Taiwan is preparing sharply higher penalties for driving under the influence of drugs, including on-the-spot vehicle confiscation and fines reaching NT$270,000 for motorists who refuse a drug test. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced the plans after 23 people died in drug-driving incidents during the first half of this year.

The move follows amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act that President William Lai (賴清德) signed into law on Aug. 17. Hu Ti-chi (胡迪琦), director of the ministry's Public Transportation and Supervision Division, said the revised law raises fines, adds license revocation, holds passengers liable, imposes mandatory addiction treatment and allows authorities to seize vehicles.

To put the law into effect, the ministry has released previewed changes to four related regulations that spell out how the penalties will work in practice.

Fines That Rise With Each Offense

Under the previewed rules, drivers caught operating a vehicle while on drugs will be fined according to the type of vehicle. A motorcycle rider faces NT$120,000 for a first offense, while a car driver faces NT$150,000.

The amounts climb steeply for repeat offenders. A second violation within 10 years would cost NT$210,000 for a motorcycle rider and NT$240,000 for a car driver. From the third offense onward, an extra NT$90,000 would be tacked onto each penalty, with no ceiling on the total.

Refusing to cooperate carries the heaviest cost. A driver who declines a rapid saliva test would be fined NT$270,000 on a first refusal, whether riding a motorcycle or driving a car. A second refusal within a decade would push the fine to NT$450,000, and every further refusal would add another NT$180,000, again with no upper limit.

Seized Vehicles and Published Names

The new measures give officers the power to confiscate a vehicle at the roadside the moment a driver is caught under the influence of drugs or refuses to be tested.

When a drug-driving case or a related offense leads to a driver losing their license, authorities could make the person's name and photograph public and suspend the vehicle's license plates for two years.

Drivers who continue to get behind the wheel after their license has been revoked face additional consequences. That would bring an extra NT$80,000 fine, and the vehicle would be impounded.

The ministry said it is now working to implement the revised rules.

Keywords: Taiwan drug driving, Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, drug driving fines, vehicle confiscation Taiwan, William Lai, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, saliva test refusal, Taiwan traffic law

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