The Taipei City Government Motor Vehicles Office’s new Center for Education and Driving Safety in Shihlin (士林) offers free safety classes for drivers and cyclists.
The new facility, which opened earlier this month on Chengde Road, offers classes every Wednesday ranging from bicycling skills for beginners and defensive techniques for motorists to driving lessons for senior citizens and a course for drivers who are afraid of driving on local streets, said Tsai Hsi-chen (蔡錫琛), coordinator at the office.
Tsai said the office sought to educate drivers about correct driving concepts through free courses and seminars. The center, which is also used as a driving site for licensing tests, is equipped with standard driveways and professional staff for the free classes, he said.
Department of Transportation statistics show that scooter accidents account for more than 75 percent of traffic accidents in Taipei. The department expects the courses will help reduce the number of scooter-related accidents, Tsai said.
The department also hopes the center will improve bicycle safety as the number of cyclists has increased significantly in recent years.
In another attempt to protect cyclists, the department is constructing a 2m-wide bicycle lane on Dunhua N and S roads that will connect Taipei Songshan Airport, Taipei Dome, and the Gongguan area. The section between Minquan E Road and Minsheng E Road was opened on Friday
More information on the free driving lessons and other classes can be obtained by calling the center at (02) 2831-4155, ext. 300, or visiting the center’s Web site at www.mvo.taipei.gov.tw.
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