Sat, Sep 19, 2015 page4

• Number of female drivers rises: census

  TAKING THE WHEEL: Women now account for 30.8% of drivers, up from 19.4% in 1998. However, the north sees fewer women drive, due to public transport and stressful roads

  • By Huang Li-hsiang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  The most recent census conducted by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications shows an increase in the number of female drivers in the nation.

  In 1998, women accounted for 19.4 percent of drivers, while over the past seven years, the number has grown to 30.8 percent, the ministry said.

  The ministry estimates that from the number of females with driver’s licenses, 36.2 percent regularly drive, compared with 65.8 percent of males with licenses.

  Last year, there were 6.52 million males with driver’s licenses, while there were 5.27 million females with licenses, according to ministry statistics.

  However, the ministry said the numbers were only for reference because there are people who have licenses, but are not on the road.

  The ministry said the number of female drivers is highest in Chiayi City and Taitung County, while the ratio drops significantly in the Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung City region.

  Chiayi City records 45.1 percent of females driving, putting the population nearly on par with males, while Taitung and Miaoli counties came in second and third with 38.6 percent and 37.1 percent respectively, the ministry said.

  Taipei and Keelung, both with 21.8 percent, came out slightly in the lead over New Taipei City, with 20.4 percent, and Lienchiang County, with 13 percent, it said.

  Academics say ease of access to public transportation, as well as the stress of driving in the region, have led to the lower rates of female drivers in the north.

  Feng Chia University associate professor Lee Ker-tsung (李克聰) said the population density in Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung often makes traffic conditions more complex than other places and it is understandable if females choose not to drive.

  However, that does not mean that women cannot drive in the same traffic conditions, and the city governments should seek to aid female drivers in becoming familiar with traffic conditions, Lee said.

  An office worker who wished only to be identified as Siao Wen (小文) said that although her husband had been kind enough to offer to help her with her driving, “his involuntary reaction of tightening his grip on the armrest of the passenger seat became very demoralizing after a while.”

  Another woman said that she became scared of driving after her husband’s expression from seeing a small dent on the car, adding that eventually, she forgot how to drive and had to go back to a training class to relearn the basics.

  Coaches at driving education classes said that while women comprise the majority of students coming back to learn how to drive after obtaining their license, they account for only about 10 percent of the class.

  The Directorate-General of Highways said that to help people who have obtained their licenses, but are afraid of driving on the road, in 2010 it began offering classes in Taipei to such drivers to “retrain” them on how to drive on actual roads.

  The Kaohsiung branch started training such students in 2012, the directorate-general said, adding that the male-female ratio of students was 4:6. However, 568 males completed the classes, compared with 388 females.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Eurovision Song Contest triggers surge in betting interest

  • 2

    Napoli close in on title despite Parma stalemate

  • 3

    Barcelona crowned champions

  • 4

    Sinner cruises past Ruud, Gauff battles into final

  • 5

    Entertainers questioned amid military service furor