Yangmei Rest Area EV Crash: TTSB Issues 5 Safety Recommendations Following ADAS Investigation

TAIPEI (CNA) — The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) today released its final investigation report on a fatal electric vehicle (EV) crash that occurred last year at the Yangmei Rest Area on National Highway 1, which resulted in 4 deaths and 4 injuries. The report concluded that the accident was linked to the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). According to the TTSB, the probable cause was the driver's habit of using ADAS, which may have been active during the crash. However, the system failed to identify road markings in time, automatically disengaged, and caused the vehicle to drift. The driver failed to immediately correct the direction or apply the brakes, leading to a high-speed collision with a divider. The TTSB proposed five recommendations: (1) Accelerate the adoption of road safety audit mechanisms; (2) Include the car rental industry in ADAS education efforts; (3) Implement road safety audits in new highway construction or major facility improvements to identify risks in geometry and engineering; (4) Strengthen education on vehicle occupancy limits; and (5) Promote the correct use of child safety seats. The board specifically noted that Chaoyang Car Rental should incorporate ADAS instructional procedures into their vehicle handover process to ensure customers understand the system's functions and limitations.