Taiwan to update driver's license tests starting 2026

Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Taiwan will update its driver licensing system starting 2026, introducing "tougher" written and road tests and stricter rules for elderly drivers, the Highway Bureau said Wednesday.

The bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said at a press conference that the changes are part of 17 reforms aimed at reducing traffic deaths, to be rolled out between 2026 and 2027.

Currently, written exams include both yes-no and multiple-choice questions. Starting in January for motorcycles and June for cars, they will consist only of multiple-choice questions, the bureau said.

Driving tests will be updated to require car license applicants to perform blind-spot checks, while bus and truck drivers must use the "point-and-call" method when stopping for pedestrians, it added.

Meanwhile, "elderly drivers" aged 70 and above must either return their licenses in exchange for public transport subsidies or, beginning in May 2026, complete government-provided lessons and physical assessments to extend their licenses until age 75.

The rule requiring drivers aged 75 and over to undergo a basic health check and cognitive screening every three years to renew their licenses will remain unchanged, the bureau said.

Retired transportation professor Lee Ke-tsung (李克聰) said that while the policy's effectiveness still needs to be examined, a harder test could lead to more people driving without a license. He urged the government to monitor such trends.

Calls for reform followed a May 19 accident in Sanxia, New Taipei, when a 78-year-old driver killed three pedestrians and injured 12 others after plowing through a school crossing at high speed.

According to MOTC data, 2,950 people died in traffic accidents in Taiwan in 2024, down 2.2 percent from the previous year but short of the 7 percent annual reduction target.