Taiwanese Driver's License

Ok, so I just got my Taiwanese driver's license. The DL is for the regular heavy motorcycle (up to 250cc). It's very easy to get. The whole process was done in under two hours. All you need to bring in is your ARC and a couple of DL sized pictures. Or you could just take the pictures there. The ARC needs to be one year in length from approval date to expiry date. You don't need to have one year remaining, like for a cell contract, you just need a year-long ARC. 

Not too shabby.

So this is where the magic happens. The Taipei Motor Vehicles Department, north branch. I came here with a friend, and I think you need to take a bus from the red line MRT, so you'll have to look it up. Here's the website: http://english.mvo.taipei.gov.tw/MP_117012.html 

85% to pass! "Panzaso!", as they say in Spanish (means, sliding on your stomach). 

I got an 85%, which is the bare minimum. Of course, I didn't realize there were practice computers in the lobby which are open all day until AFTER I took the real written test. Oh, well, I got lucky anyway. If you fail, you must wait a week before re-attempting the test. You can take an online practice test here (although, not all the questions on the real test are in the online test, as I found out): http://driversimtest.thb.gov.tw/DriverSimTest/mocks/index.do

See here for the website with some test answers (use Google translate or the Google Chrome browser): http://www.thb.gov.tw/TM/Menus/Menu03/Cai/Drivingtests.aspx

The written test is not so tough. You pretty much get it from driving back home. For the driving test, the most difficult part is the first obstacle: the stability test. Apparently this is new, and my friend said he could easily pass it now, but he doubts he would have passed it the first time he took the test back when he was 18. He said back then the passing rate was like 95%. Now it is much, much lower. By the way, when he took the test back in the day it was the first time he had even mounted a scooter, and he passed. I saw about seven people test while I was there. Two of them were older and clearly had been driving a while without a license. They passed no problem. The other five were 18 year-old new drivers. They all invariably failed. Immediately. Come back in seven days. 

Anyway, the stability test consists of navigating a long, fairly narrow lane at low speed without putting you feet on the ground or swerving the bike out of the narrow strip. It tests your balance at low speed. The way they make sure you use low speed is you can't complete the lane before seven seconds. If you complete it in six second, it means you went too fast. It's actually quite tough. See the tip below.

The dreaded stability test. Note that even though this poster claims to reveal to you the "trick", it doesn't actually tell you jack. Thanks for nothin' Taipei DMV. 

So here's the thing... the trick to the stability test is to start off with a bit of speed and then slow down right after you enter the test lane. The narrow lane used is right at the beginning of the obstacle course, so you can get a tiny 3-4 foot push off before you even enter it. It's a lot easier to start off stable at a medium speed and slow down than it is to try to keep low speed and maintain stability throughout.

After watching all those kids go down in flames, I kinda felt like going "what the hell" and just giving it a try, but I got a little antsy since I didn't wanna come back in seven days. So, I looked around for a place to practice. Turns out there's a wee lane leading up to the practice rink with some drainage grates that are about the exact same width as the narrow testing lane. I rode up and down these two or three times and counted to seven to get my technique down. When I got on the actual track, it was a piece of cake. The testing track is also open early mornings for practice, but I think it's crowded, and anyway we arrived too late for that.

Also, the stability test has a counter right the end of the narrow lane. You can look at this instead of counting to seven in your head to make sure you complete the obstacle after seven seconds.

Here's the track. You can see the lights in the background where you are supposed to make full stops. The narrow stability test track is in the foreground.

Instruction posters. 

There was a waiting area where your friends (or I guess your mom) are supposed to wait, but during the actual test, both my friend and I just walked right onto track. Taiwan ain't big on rules. 

Another beautiful day in Taiwan. 

Although I went with my friend, everybody spoke English enough to get you through. The whole place was pretty much empty.  

The five steps are: 

1. register and fill out paperwork and submit your ARC and photos. 
2. do the physical: height weight, vision, hearing
3. written test
4. driving test
5. watch a movie in Chinese. Even if you only speak English. The crashes in the video are gnarly enough for you to get the idea of "Don't do stupid **** and you will survive." 

So the whole experience was really easy. Cost under $500 and almost zero wait time. Compared to an American DMV it was a piece of cake. 

Time to go terrorize the streets!