Was looking at the online driving test. I noticed something that’s kinda funny. “It’s illegal for a motorcycle to pass a car on the right.” Yes, yes…we all know it’s illegal to pass on the right. But this law implies that when you are in the scooter lane…and you are passing cars…that’s illegal?!? It’s also illegal for motorbikes to pass cars on the left…since the left lane is for cars only…guess we are all just shit out of luck! So remember folk…if you don’t want to break the law…next time you see 20 cars lined up at a redlight come to a complete stop at the back of them in the motorbike lane, even though there is nothing in front of you.
Hehe, all joking aside…just thought it was a strange rule for a country with bike lanes…they should modify it.
For anyone taking the test outside of Taipei, do not rely on the limited subset of questions on the Taipei DMV website – you need to get the proper test prep. booklet, which has the full range of potential test questions. The English version is available from DMVs (some loan it out, some sell it).
It depends which DMV I think (and how many copies they have left). When I did my test in Taichung they loaned only. No big deal though, just sign somewhere and take the booklet home for a week or two.
Mordeth, don’t know if you caught this but it was in the China Times about 2 or 3 weeks ago whereas they had changed the law “making it illegal to change lanes at will” ?!
I know what they were going for but the wording is so obtrusive it it almost sounds as if you can only change lanes against your will.
Ahh yes our tax dollars hard at work. I can’t wait for the special commission to examine this one for three years and then write a 1500 page report that reccomends that they consider changing the wording, sometime, maybe, later, if everybody agrees the old one was not good, or maybe just leave it as is…
About 8 years ago, I took the scooter test, because I got pulled over for breaking some silly rule like not turning left on red at 4 am and got warned by the cops for riding a 90cc with a car license .
So I took the test, and failed it (barely) because I didn’t know answers to questions such as: What is the amount of the fine for failing to keep your taxi clean? a) $NT500, b)$1500, c) $NT 3500, d) $NT5000.
I was LIVID.
Well, I demanded to see the head of the DMV station, and read him the RIOT act for including irrelevant questions, and asked for an English copy of the rules. There was none, he insisted. So I read him the RIOT act for not having one, and believe you me, I can really go off the deep end in situations like this. Well, he eventually just printed out the test and gave it to me, answers and all, just to get rid of me.
Guess they decided to translate the rules into English and publish it to keep the away…
Yeah, driving in Guanajuato, Mexico a year and a half ago, I was greatly amused by the periodic signs along the highway saying “take the opportunity to pass!”
[quote=“shifty”]Mordeth, don’t know if you caught this but it was in the China Times about 2 or 3 weeks ago whereas they had changed the law “making it illegal to change lanes at will” ?!
I know what they were going for but the wording is so obtrusive it it almost sounds as if you can only change lanes against your will.
Ahh yes our tax dollars hard at work. I can’t wait for the special commission to examine this one for three years and then write a 1500 page report that reccomends that they consider changing the wording, sometime, maybe, later, if everybody agrees the old one was not good, or maybe just leave it as is…
you get it.
just a thought[/quote]
That’s interesting…although they dont’ really need people to stop “changing” lanes…they just need people to be in the lane they are “supposed” to be in. Ever notice how the “fast” lane on the highway is often the slowest? And if cars just keep to the right lane and used the left for passing things would be so much smoother. I heard that in Germany you lose your license for LIFE if caught passing on the right.
perhaps waht Shifty is referring to is this… I’ve heard on the grapevine that the “government” (referred to below as “the poorly trained chimps”) are in the process of passing and/or implimenting a law based on the principal of slow lane, fast lane, passing lane on the freeways/highways… the chances that “the poorly trained chimps” would choose to word it (english or chinese) in some obtuse, nonsensical way and refer to it as “switching lanes at will” or whatever, thereby reducing the already slim chances that the great unwashed masses will be able to comprehend and obey such a law, seems highly likely…
whilst the fact that the legislation and implimentation of such a law is amatuerish, backward and largely wide of the mark is to be expected, the fact that they are actually considering the benefits of such a law means that “the poorly trained chimps” at least deserve a banana and a smack upside the head…
and got warned by the cops for riding a 90cc with a car license 
.
away…