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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 DGH subsidy plan aims to reduce scooter accidents
A man takes a scooter driving test in Taoyuan in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Taoyuan Motor Vehicles Office
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
People who take the three-day Directorate-General of Highways （DGH） scooter course before taking the license exam are to be eligible for a NT$1,000 （US$32.38） subsidy, the highway authority said yesterday, adding that a trial of the policy could begin on April 16.
The policy aims to reduce accidents involving motorcycles, the agency said.
Traffic accidents involving motorcycles last year in which the victims died within 30 days of the incident claimed 1,643 lives, an increase of 49 from 2017, Ministry of Transportation and Communications statistics show.
The fatalities made up about 60 percent of the overall deaths from traffic accidents last year.
Forty-five percent of fatal traffic accidents in which people died within 24 hours involved motorcycles, the National Police Agency said.
Most people learn how to ride scooters on their own, the highway authority said.
If people take the course before taking the license exam, it would help reduce scooter accidents, as they would learn how to correctly operate the vehicles and how to drive defensively, it said.
The course entails 16 hours of lectures and training on how to operate a motorcycle, the agency said, adding that attendees would receive the subsidy after receiving their license.
Most traffic accidents in Taiwan are caused by or involve motorcycle riders, drunk drivers or elderly people, Motor Vehicle Section Deputy Director Wei Wu-sheng （魏武盛） said.
People are required to attend driving classes before they take a car license exam, but only 2,800 of about 27,000 people took the scooter course last year, Wei said.
The government has allocated NT$8 million to compensate people who attend the course, which covers about one-third of the tuition, he said.
The highway authority would entrust an academic institution with evaluating the performance of the subsidy program, Wei said, adding that the program might continue next year if it proves effective in reducing motorcycle accidents.
The agency would also assess whether the law could be amended to make the course mandatory, he said.
Taiwan Scooter Road Rights Promotion Association secretary general Chou Chih-yen （周志彥） said that the motorcycle license test is too easy.
Motorcyclists take the practical test in a controlled setting, Chou said, adding that most of them learn how to ride on the road.
The course should simulate situations that riders deal with on the roads, such as riding among cars, he said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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