The written component of driver’s license tests now include more questions on what to do at uncontrolled intersections, after new testing guidelines took effect on Tuesday, the Directorate-General of Highways said.
Test takers need to answer three or four compulsory questions about uncontrolled intersections, the agency said.
The written component of the test comprises 50 randomly chosen questions.
Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times
Also, starting in April, a mandatory road component is to be added to motorcycle driving courses at 14 course operators nationwide, it said.
The agency on Saturday met with representatives from operators, driving training institutes and other concerned parties to discuss the road test.
“Plans call for a three-hour road component, which will cover eight to 10 training items, including changing lanes, roadside parking, avoiding blind spots of larger vehicles and stopping at uncontrolled intersections,” Motor Vehicle Section Deputy Director Wei Wu-sheng (魏武盛) said.
“It will include two hours of riding experience and one hour of pre-riding instruction, along with a post-riding review and corrective measures,” Wei said.
Other training items that might be covered in the road portion include two-stage left turns and riding at a safe distance from other vehicles, he said, adding that some items might be conducted in simulated scenarios at the program operators’ facilities.
Trainees are to be accompanied by an instructor throughout the road test, while scooters used for training are to be equipped with cameras, and riders must wear Bluetooth headsets at all times to communicate with instructors, he said.
Taiwan has 72 state-owned motorcycle driving courses, 14 of which are to implement the road component.
Three of the participating operators are in New Taipei City, two are in Kaohsiung, and one each in Taipei, Tainan, Taoyuan and Taichung, and one each in Hsinchu, Changhua, Pingtung, Taitung and Chiayi counties.
“We are working out course fees for programs that include road components, but to make it easier for people, we are offering NT$1,200 subsidies to students throughout 2023,” Wei said.
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