TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Speed limits on certain Taiwan roads will be reviewed to ensure complying with them is realistic for drivers, the government said on Friday (Sept. 27).

The number of serious speeding cases increased from around 15,000 cases in 2023 to 62,000 so far in 2024, Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said during a question and answer session in the legislature, per CNA. He said this has meant more people have had their vehicle license plates suspended, and more counterfeit plates are appearing on Taiwan’s roads as a result.

Lin said cases of fake vehicle license plates have increased from “dozens” in 2023 to more than 600 so far in 2024. He said that nearly 40% of people who were caught driving with fake license plates said they did so because their license plates were confiscated due to traffic offenses.

Lin suggested changes last year that reduced the threshold for serious speeding from 60 kilometers per hour over the limit to 40 caused the problem. The changes also meant those who commit serious speeding offenses will be fined up to NT$36,000 (US$1,142) and have their vehicle license plate suspended for six months.

In response, Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said his ministry planned to improve anti-counterfeit measures for license plates and increase penalties for using them. To address problems caused by “unreasonable speed limits on some roads,” Chen said the government would ask local authorities to conduct a review and discuss with police and other units if speed limits were fit for purpose.

Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said he agreed with the legislator‘s views. He said if there are unreasonable speed limits on certain roads that people cannot comply with, reviews should be conducted from a “humanistic perspective.”