A Taiwanese man who dodged NT$188,400 in traffic fines for years paid up immediately once authorities went after his life insurance policy — a win for enforcement, a warning for anyone ignoring fines.

• A 56-year-old man in Chiayi County racked up fines between 2019 and 2020 for driving with a revoked license, lane violations on the freeway, and refusing a breath test after drunk driving.
• He never paid, and enforcement officers initially recovered only about NT$6,000 from his bank account.
• He claimed he had no steady job and was awaiting a prison term, and was granted permission to set up an installment plan after his 2023 release — then missed the payments.
• Officers found a life insurance policy in his name and seized it; facing the risk of the policy being cancelled, he paid the full balance at once.

Outlook: Enforcement officials say they will keep using asset seizures against long-term fine dodgers, while offering installment plans to those who genuinely cannot pay.