Just yesterday, President Lin Kehsiao of Taishin Financial Group went mountain climbing in Nanao. He had originally hoped to explore an ancient Atayal trail, but unexpectedly fell to his death in a valley due to weather conditions or other factors. This mountain climbing accident may serve as a warning for those who enjoy hiking, as it highlights the risks of mountaineering accidents. There have been no shortage of such incidents in the past, and every time a tragedy occurs—especially when hikers enter restricted areas in severe weather—firefighters and rescue personnel often feel that the human, financial, and resource costs involved in saving a single person are staggering and simply shouldn’t happen.
Therefore, some firefighters and rescuers further argue that while life is priceless, the cost of saving it can be excessively high. As a result, they hope to further regulate mountain climbers. For instance, in the past, some members of the public (or students) insisted on climbing during typhoons or heavy rainstorms. When accidents happened or they became trapped, it still required the deployment of large numbers of firefighters and expensive helicopters, with rescuers risking their own lives. Faced with such situations, rescuers often complain while conducting mountain rescue operations, believing that hikers lack public spirit by choosing to climb in bad weather, and that their accidents end up wasting huge amounts of taxpayers’ money. As a result, many rescuers feel that limiting or penalizing rule-breaking hikers is necessary to ensure the safety of all climbers.
However, others argue that although mountain climbing carries risks, the government should not restrict citizens' freedom to take on such adventures based on risk alone. Mountain climbing offers many benefits—it promotes fitness, exploration, and relaxation, while also allowing people to connect with nature, serving multiple recreational purposes. Moreover, the role of the government is not just to regulate (or restrict), but also to provide services and assistance. Just as driving can lead to car accidents, it doesn’t mean people should be discouraged from driving. Instead, we should examine the causes of accidents or think about improving traffic safety regulations, and then research and design solutions related to helmet use, speeding, road engineering, pavement conditions, and traffic signals to enhance safety and prevent accidents.
Based on the aforementioned principles, everyone needs to rethink how to design mountain climbing regulations that balance both safety and leisure. The most critical (and fatal) aspect of this particular accident was that after Lin Kehsiao fell into the valley, the three people with him found that their mobile phones and satellite phones had lost signal, making it impossible to call for help in time. As a result, the other two spent over ten hours descending the mountain to seek assistance. When rescue teams received news of the accident, the weather conditions delayed their arrival. In other words, one of the key reasons for this tragedy was a breakdown in communication between the climbers’ devices and the outside world. If, in the future, a type of communication technology could be developed that is unaffected by mountainous terrain or weather and allows constant contact with government forestry bureaus or rescue services, it would be a tremendous boon for hikers.
Perhaps with current communication technology in Taiwan, achieving seamless communication in mountainous areas remains difficult. But this challenge is worth the investment by the government (such as the Executive Yuan’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, the National Science and Technology Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the National Police Agency) or private enterprises to conduct in-depth research. Through patent applications, there is also significant commercial potential. Once hikers have access to reliable communication equipment, the next issue is how to link this equipment with the information systems of government regulatory bodies. Since hikers usually need to register with the relevant authorities before entering mountains—and since many government agencies are already digitized—hiker information can be transmitted to the “duty command centers” of these regulatory bodies via information networks. At the same time, hikers could be mandated or required to carry paid “electronic tracking” or communication devices.
Therefore, I suggest that before entering the mountains, hikers should equip themselves with high-quality communication devices that can also connect with government departments. This not only provides greater peace of mind for the hikers themselves, but also gives rescuers a valuable tool to track the hikers’ whereabouts at any time. To enable constant communication between rescuers and hikers, it is recommended that rescue command centers also set up monitors linked to hikers’ communication and tracking devices. If a hiker experiences poor communication or other issues, relevant mechanisms can be activated in advance to create multiple layers of protection for the hikers.
In summary, rather than restricting people from mountain climbing, it is better to encourage researchers to actively develop mountain communication technologies. This would ensure hiker safety while also reducing the costs incurred by rescue teams. (The author is a professor in the Department of Political Science at National Cheng Kung University and Director of the Center for Technology Governance Research.)