Car Goes Over Guardrail on National Freeway 3 疑躲測速 國3後龍段轎車衝破護欄卡溝

A car that was speeding cut into the righthand lane and went over the guardrail after colliding with a truck on National Freeway 3 on Feb. 13. The car crashed down the side of a hill and came to a stop in a ditch. Police believe the driver was trying to hide from a speed camera.

A car accident took place near the 131K marker of National Freeway 3 at 6 a.m. on the 13th. A northbound car suddenly cut into the outer lane, hitting a cargo truck before losing control and going over the guardrail. It flipped 90 degrees going down the side of the hill before coming to rest in a ditch. First responders rescued the driver and two passengers from the car. Two of them suffered light injuries and were taken to the hospital.

Truck Driver: “I was driving in the outside lane and he cut in from the middle lane and collided with the side of my vehicle. (He hit the front of your vehicle?) And then his vehicle went sideways and went over the guardrail.”

Chien Hsin-chih, Firefighter, Tongxiao Branch, Fire Bureau, Miaoli County: “At 6:54 a.m. on the 13th, we were notified of an accident at the Houlong Interchange. The driver of the car was speeding and went over the guardrail.”

The driver is a 29-year-old man surnamed Chu who was driving from Taichung to Taipei. Police believe he cut into the outer lane to sandwich himself between two other vehicles in the hopes of hiding his license plate from a speed camera. The police say in these situations, vehicles are manually and individually assessed to see if they were speeding.

Chiu Yung-feng, Deputy Chief, Traffic Division, Police Bureau, Miaoli County: “The system transmits and receives radio frequencies to calculate the speed a vehicle was traveling at. Police write up violations and take photos for evidence. If more than one vehicle is involved, each will be assessed individually.”

Chu passed a breath alcohol test, but his car was totaled. Police are still trying to determine the facts of the case.

國道3號北上131K處苗栗後龍段，13日上午6時多發生一起嚴重車禍。一輛轎車行經該路段突然往右偏移，不慎撞上另一輛大貨車，接著當場失控衝破護欄，最後90度側翻卡在邊坡的水溝內。救護人員獲報到場，將受困車內包含駕駛共3人救出，其中有2人受輕傷送醫。

貨車駕駛指出：「我行駛在外車道，他從中線彎，硬擠進來，就跟我下面（車身）這邊擦撞，然後就看到他整個斜的出去，從護欄撞下去這樣。」

苗栗縣通霄消防分隊隊員簡欣志說明：「13日早上6時54分接獲中心通報，後龍交流道口有發生一起小客車，因超速而掉落邊坡的事件。」

警方初步了解，肇事轎車29歲朱姓駕駛，上午從台中清水出發要到台北，經過國3後龍路段時，疑似突然發現有測速照相桿，想製造雙車併排，藉由其他車輛來擋住自己的車牌，卻不慎失控的意外。交通隊表示，雷達測速若發生多車併行的情形，會由人工個案判斷是否超速。

苗栗縣警察局交通隊副隊長邱永豐表示：「系統會自動發射接收電波頻率，換算出車速後，再產生違規資料由員警製單舉發，採證照片中如有多車併行情形，會個案判斷以確認違規車輛是否超速。」

吊車將轎車吊起，整輛車車頭嚴重扭曲變形，幾乎成了廢鐵。警方經過酒測，朱姓駕駛沒有酒駕的情況，詳細肇事原因仍有待進一步釐清。