The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday opened southern Taiwan’s first interactive traffic safety education park in Kaohsiung, a NT$10 million (US$314,288) facility featuring simulated roads, vehicle demonstrations and interactive technology to promote road safety awareness.
There were more than 400,000 traffic incidents in Taiwan last year, claiming 2,858 lives, with motorcyclists and pedestrians among the groups at highest risk, ministry data showed.
Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Chiayi City have similar facilities, and one is under construction in Taichung, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said.
Photo: CNA
“We hope to educate the public about the importance of road safety through such facilities, which would be available nationwide,” Chen said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺) told the opening ceremony that elderly people and children in Kaohsiung should have priority access to the park to enhance their road safety awareness.
Kaohsiung Motor Vehicle Office Director Feng Ching-man (馮靜滿) said the park has a 1,320m2 outdoor traffic-safety simulation area and a 430m2 indoor interactive area.
Visitors can simulate crossing intersections with and without signals, learn about large vehicles’ blind spots and watch a live demonstration of vehicle off-tracking in the outdoor area, Feng said.
The hands-on exercises are designed to help visitors better judge right of way and recognize the dangers of being in a car’s blind spot, she said.
In the indoor area, visitors can learn about road safety in a fun and intuitive way through board games and augmented-reality experiences featuring bicycles and micro electric vehicles, she said.
The Kaohsiung Department of Social Affairs has added the park as a stop on its “Happy Shuttle for Seniors” route, allowing more elderly people to refresh their knowledge of traffic safety, she said, adding that the Kaohsiung Department of Education has shared information about the park with schools at all levels, helping instill traffic-safety awareness among students from a young age.
The Kaohsiung Motor Vehicles Office said the park is open for online group reservations, with each session accommodating 20 to 30 people and lasting about two hours.
Schools, government agencies and organizations are welcome to make reservations online through the Kaohsiung Motor Vehicles Office’s Web site or by phone to experience a different approach to traffic-safety education firsthand, it said.
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