Lawmakers yesterday panned the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) for its failure to promote safe driving techniques, with a survey showing that about a third of drivers do not know the importance of checking tire tread depth.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee that flat tires are the cause of some traffic accidents on freeways, but a DGH survey showed that only 66 percent of respondents knew that tire tread depth is one of the items examined in annual vehicle inspections, despite the agency’s efforts to inform the public about this for one-and-a-half years.
This year, about 28,000 cars were found to have insufficient tire tread, he said.
The poll also showed that only about half of respondents knew that they must take a mandatory defensive driving lesson when they received their motorcycle license for the first time, Lee said, adding that this was another example of the agency’s failure to effectively communicate with the public.
Lee also referred to statistics showing that more than 100 college students are killed each year in motorcycle accidents.
However, of the 15 college campuses that have a high incidence of motorcycle accidents, none were listed in the program which allows public buses to enter school campuses, he said.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said that hand signals for cyclists, promoted by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, are for right-handed persons and do not consider the needs of left-handed persons.
Based on the guidebook published by the ministry, a cyclist is supposed to raise his left arm with the palm facing right to indicate a right turn. To make a left turn, he would extend the left arm horizontally to the left.
The cyclist extends the left arm horizontally with the palm facing down and waves the extended arm if he wants to stop. Kuan said that a left-handed person would hold onto the bike with their left hand and use their right hand to make signals, which might confuse other road users.
DGH Director-General Chao Hsin-hua (趙興華) said the agency would increase efforts to enhance public awareness about safe driving.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Tseng Dar-jen (曾大仁) said the hand signals are to help cyclists in making safe turns because bicycles do not have signal lights.
He said that left-handed cyclists are advised to make hand signals with their left hand to avoid confusion.
Chao also said that the new Suhua Highway route is scheduled to become operational by the end of 2019. The new route was originally scheduled to be launched by 2018.
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