Safety course for elderly drivers teaches emergency braking, refreshes skills

Safety course for elderly drivers teaches emergency braking, refreshes skills

2025-11-14

Discussion about seniors on the road has reached a fever pitch recently. The Taipei City Government in response is offering a first-ever driving safety course for elderly motorists. Anyone 65 or over can sign up to get a refresher on basic driving knowledge, as well as test their sensitivity for crucial skills like emergency braking.

A five-second emergency stop over 100 meters tests not only sensitivity, but also bravery. But veteran drivers with over 40 years behind the wheel aren’t fazed—they just step on the gas, their moves as sharp as ever. They can also practice on an uneven surface to test their control over the pedal.

Mr. Wang
Course participant
You usually don’t need to brake suddenly when driving. I used to just hand my car over to the mechanic and never paid attention to its condition. How do you change the oil, anyway? How can you tell if the tires need replacing?

When 77-year-old Wang was 75, he renewed his driver’s license. He’ll soon need to renew it again. In the past three years, his knowledge of traffic laws, driving skills, and sensitivity have all declined, so he’s attending the class so he can drive until he’s 90. This 72-year-old Mr. Hu is also taking the course.

Mr. Hu
Course participant
Before, as long as I could drive, I would. Just knowing how to press the gaspedal was enough. But just now we tried out emergency braking, which made me realize the importance of maintaining proper following distance.

The two students found the acceleration and emergency braking practice to be most useful. It also aligns with one of the course’s primary objectives. Senior driving has been a hot topic of discussion this year. Drawing inspiration from Japan’s senior driving programs, the Taipei City Government partnered with the Driving Education Association to create a specialized driving safety course. Seniors aged 65 and above who complete the class are eligible for subsidies.

Mr. Tseng
Driving instructor
Just getting people to leave home and come to a driving school for lessons is an extremely difficult task. Especially older folks, their bodies aren’t as resilient. The more intensive exercises in the course could cause them discomfort.

When it comes to driving, older folks have been on the road for so long that most know their way around a wheel. But as we age, we inevitably lose some of the skills we had in our youth. Taking these classes not only reinforces safe driving practices, but also gives a chance to correct outdated driving habits.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#driving #elderlydriver #trafficsafety #drivingcourse #Taipei #emergencybraking #driverslicense #aging

北市首開安駕課程高齡駕駛:急煞訓練最有感

2025-11-14

高齡駕駛開車上路的話題持續不斷，台北市府首創高齡安駕課程，只要年滿65歲的民眾就能報名，除了加強用路觀念，還要測驗靈敏度，像是短距離急煞，就很重要。

100公尺5秒急煞，測驗的不只是靈敏度，還有膽量，但開車超過40年的老司機們，沒在怕，油門催下去，動作依舊確實。或是段差台階反應訓練，練練油門的控制度。

[[駕訓班學員王先生]]
“因為我們平常開車的時候，都不會緊急煞車。我以前都是把車交給保養廠，從來不管車子狀況，車子到底要怎麼換機油？輪胎到底怎麼樣來判斷是不是應該要換了？”

77歲的王先生，在75歲時，換過一次駕照，即將再換第二次，3年內，其實道路法規、知識、敏銳度都有差，這次來上課，為的就是想開車開到90歲。另外來駕訓班的還有這位72歲的胡先生。

[[駕訓班學員胡先生]]
“以前就是只為了要能開車，會開車，會踩油門就OK了。剛才我們在體驗一個踩急煞車的事情，這個讓我體驗到，車距之間的重要性。”

兩位學員最有感的，都是加速、急煞，而這也是上課的主要目的之一，高齡駕駛是今年的熱門話題，台北市府借鏡日本高齡駕訓，跟汽車駕駛教育學會合作，首創安駕課程，滿65歲的長輩們來到駕訓班上課，完成訓練，政府還有補助。

[[駕訓班曾教練]]
“光要請民眾從家裡來到駕訓班上課，就是非常困難的一件事情。尤其是高齡者，他們的身體耐受程度沒有那麼好，(課程)練習相對比較激烈一點的話，他可能身體會很容易不舒服。”

要說開車，長輩們上路那麼久，大多熟門熟路，但隨著年齡增長，跟年輕的自己比，多少會有點退步，來上課不但強化用路觀念，也能藉機知道哪些開車習慣不合時宜。

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