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Updated Sunday, September 5, 2010 11:55 pm TWN, CNA

Ireland relaxes licensing rules for Taiwanese drivers

LONDON -- After more than a year of negotiations, Ireland has made it possible for Taiwanese nationals to get an Irish driver's license without having to take a test if they have a valid license from Taiwan.

Taiwanese nationals will be able to use the Irish driver's license to travel to 26 member countries in the European Union, and the move could also prod the United Kingdom and other countries to follow suit.

Taiwan's Representative to Ireland Lee Nan-yang expressed his appreciation to the Irish government for taking the initiative and described it as the second major breakthrough in bilateral relations since July 2009, Lee said.

“This is another friendly gesture after the Irish government granted visa-free treatment to Taiwanese passport holders in July 2009,” he said, adding that it shows Ireland attaches great importance to Taiwan's tourists, students and investors.

Upon learning the news, Taiwanese expatriates in Ireland called it a major diplomatic breakthrough that will help them tremendously.

“This is indeed a very good news with the low passing rates for Irish road tests. It will be more convenient to travel around European Union countries after the new policy,” said Wang Chi-sui, who was invited to teach at Dublin City University two years ago.

Johnnie Lin, director of Engineering and Quality at technology company Bizlink, said obtaining an Irish driver's license will be a blessing for Taiwanese businessmen and students.

Ireland has become the 10th country to give Taiwanese nationals the special treatment, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Finland and Switzerland.

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Comments

September 10, 2010 ludahai_twn@

I just hope they don't drive in Ireland like so many people drive here. The Irish government might think about changing its mind if they do.

October 8, 2010 charles@

Ireland must be completely ignorant of Taiwanese driving standards in order to allow this. Anyone who has been to Taiwan knows the Taiwanese drivers are by far some of the most irresponsible drivers on the planet.
Just this morning, I was crossing the street on a green light as a PEDESTRIAN at an intersection and a car making a left turn had the audacity to nearly mow me down; not wait for me to cross. I screamed loud at the driver and slapped the window to get the driver to get some common sense. Then the driver has ever more of a problem to tell me, the pedestrian to F-Off! In English! That is Taiwan drivers for you.
Taiwan drivers test is a joke. They are on a controlled course not a real road test. Anyone can pass it with 10-20 hours of practice. They don't drive with an examiner in rush hour in downtown Kaohsiung for example.
So sad that this article even mentions the 'low pass rate'. Well of course, Taiwanese cannot drive, they squeeze through the road pushing and beeping anything in their path out of the way.
Good luck Ireland, you’re gonna need it.

October 8, 2010 ludahai_twn@

@Charles -- it isn't THAT bad... it is FAR worse in China, Indonesia, India and a myriad of other countries, but driving standards fall far short of Europe or North America, that's for sure...

October 9, 2010 mexicantourist@

Taiwanese drivers are well discipline and drive with safety standard. Taiwanese drivers have the patience to give way for those pedestrians who was still in the middle of the street even the green light was on for the go.
Taiwanese drivers never shouted F-off to any pedestrians whether locals or foreigners. They show courtesy to all pedestrians.

October 12, 2010 nutty_azn@

The Taiwanese are great drivers. I admire their skill in driving down narrow streets with cars parked on both sides.

October 18, 2010 ludahai_twn@

@mexicantourist -- I advise you to get out of Taipei sometime and see what the rest of the country is like. Many drivers and scooter riders won't even yield to a pedestrian on a crosswalk where said pedestrian clearly has the right of way, for example...

@nutty_azn -- skillful down narrow streets, sure... however, many are reckless otherwise

October 21, 2010 carltanong@

@ludahai_nippon(twn)
Don’t try to fool someone who is more familiar with knowledge than you are how Taiwanese driver drive with courtesy and standard of safety.
My frequent trips to Taiwan make me laugh at you. I drive myself with ease and comfort in Taiwan.
Other examples:
When a group of school kids were crossing the street and the traffic RED light turn to GREEN and the pedestrian GREEN light turn RED after the GREEN timer elapsed. The Taiwanese driver wait patiently by letting the kids to cross safety to the other side even the kids are still in the middle of the street.
As for reckless driver, not many but just a few peaNUTS like you.
Why? Who want to have accident???

October 25, 2010 billy2023@

Your comment 'frequent trips to Taiwan' mean you are a visitor; not someone who lives here and deals with the grind on a daily basis. The sad truth of the matter is Taiwanese have a 'me first' attitude when driving. Unlike Europe and North America, a beep does not mean 'watch out' it means 'get the heck out of my way'. The biggest vehicle wins here and pedestrians are at the bottom of the food chain.
Charles hit the mark on its head, and Taiwanese need to realize that if they want to be taken seriously as a country and not a province of China, they need to mature. Road safety is one such area it needs to mature in.

October 26, 2010 tomflan50@

ludahai_twn@ wrote:
@Charles -- it isn't THAT bad... it is FAR worse in China, Indonesia, India and a myriad of other countries, but driving standards fall far short of Europe or North America, that's for sure...

Irish Driving Standards are High, Irish drivers are like Taiwan, good and Bad, with good and bad habits.
We welcome investment and human contact, between Taiwan and republic of Ireland.

October 28, 2010 Billygoat90@

tomflan wrote:

" Irish Driving Standards are High, Irish drivers are like Taiwan"

There is a world of difference between Ireland and Taiwan drivers. If you want proof just look what other developed countries like Canada say about Taiwan driving on their foreign affairs website (voyage.gc.ca):

Driving habits in Taiwan are often more erratic and reckless than in Canada. Driving or riding motorcycles is dangerous and should be avoided, even by experienced motorcyclists. Substandard road conditions and local disregard for traffic laws result in frequent accidents that cause serious and even fatal injuries to foreigners. Motorcycles and scooters weave in and out of traffic. Pedestrians should always exercise caution when crossing the road. Those planning to drive a vehicle or a motorcycle in Taiwan should remain aware of their surroundings at all time while driving. Mountain roads are narrow, winding, and poorly banked. The use of cellular phones while driving is strictly prohibited.

Here is what it says for Ireland:

Traffic drives on the left. Turning at a red light is prohibited. Reduce speed on narrow, uneven country roads. The use of cellular telephones while driving is prohibited, unless fitted with a hands-free device.

Motorways in Ireland are subject to tolls. For more information, please visit the AA Ireland website.

NOTE THE DIFFERENCE!!!

October 30, 2010 elumpen@

The responses to these articles are always pretty predictable.

- "Taiwanese driving is a disgrace"
- "It's not that bad, see how cleverly they weave around illegally-parked vehicles and badly-designed roads"
- "It's not that bad, just look at those backward Indians/Vietnamese/Elbonians, we Taiwanese are far better drivers than they are"

Come on, Taiwan. Bad driving isn't like bad grammar or bad food. When people drive badly, people DIE. Damn, too many people die even when people drive WELL. There are no second chances, no "oops, sorry" (something that annoys me even more than the original incident) that will make it all OK. When you hurt or kill somebody because you're fiddling with your mobile phone, turning right from the wrong lane, or running a red light, it's not an "accident". It's because you deliberately chose to do something that you knew (didn't you?) was dangerous. So let's not mince words here: that makes you not just a bad driver, but a bad person.

Taiwan's accident rate is a stain on the reputation of an otherwise wonderful country, and it needs fixing. I seem to recall official statistics showing that road accidents are the #1 or #2 cause of death among under-25s. Depressingly, I've never seen a single politician take this on as a worthy issue. So it's seems people will keep dying under the wheels of Taiwanese drivers - perhaps a few Irish people among them.

November 1, 2010 johnnie@

If you want to survive the streets of Taiwan, pay a taxi and get to the MRT stations or bus stop. If you want to die, being a paraplegic, or lose a limb, take a scooter.

November 4, 2010 ludahai_twn@

carltanong is at it again. Of course they stop when kids are in the crosswalk with adults are there. The penalties for hitting a kid are harsh. However, without that control -- simply trying to cross a crosswalk, EVEN WITH THE LIGHT, is hazardous to your safety.

If Taiwanese were such law abiding users of the road, why does the government have to start fining those who do not yield to ambulances? Why did I have to WITNESS the results of a poor scooter get waxed by a crazy car driver who blew through an intersection at high speed at 4:40 in the morning?!?!?

Wake up and see reality... if that is even possible for you!

November 5, 2010 CURTISAKBAR@

mexicantourist@ wrote:
Taiwanese drivers are well discipline and drive with safety standard. Taiwanese drivers have the patience to give way for those pedestrians who was still in the middle of the street even the green light was on for the go.
Taiwanese drivers never shouted F-off to any pedestrians whether locals or foreigners. They show courtesy to all pedestrians.

What have you been smoking? Taiwanese drivers like the majority of all Asian drivers are inconsiderate, selfish and dangerous. I constantly see people driving down the wrong side of the road, turning without indicating, parking where ever they want. The Taiwanese driving test is a joke, especially for motorbikes. I passed the test first time, no failures and got 98% on the badly written theory test which barely makes any sense due to poor grammar, fragmented sentences etc. But I'm not here to condemn their English as my Chinese is far worse. I'm just saying the majority of Taiwanese drivers are complete idiots and shouldn't be on the road.

November 5, 2010 andrew.hhssan@

Have been living & driving on 4 continents; 16 years in Taiwan. Taiwan drivers, much more than Canadians, Europeans or (South) Africans believe they can drive. Depends on your definition of "driving", of course. If one takes it as "being skillful", yes, most Taiwanese can. If one seriously includes "being respectful of other road users", far too many flunk badly. From what I've observed, put a Taiwanese driver on the road in Europe or Canada, and s/he does show s/he knows to drive more considerately. Don't we have a law-enforcement problem (besides that of drivers' selfishness) then?

November 6, 2010 eoghan@

As an Irishman living in Ireland, I welcome drivers from Taiwan.

November 9, 2010 johnnysmart@

Yes there is a law enforcement problem in Taiwan for drivers. But law enforcement only reflects the will of the electorate. The electorate doesn't care about laws being enforced so why should the cops? Cops are paid a salary and work for the gov't so they will do the minimum unless the electorate pushes for reform.
The truth of the matter is Taiwanese driving reflects the characteristics of the Taiwanese mindset. Which, unfortunately is a "me first, everybody else second" mentality.
At the end of the day Taiwanese mindset is about status, image, and "power". Unlike the west, Taiwanese have no notion of 'I am my brothers keeper". Everything is about me me me.


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