According to the statistics, as of June 30 this year, there were 1,423 traffic accidents involving older adults (aged 60 and above) in North District, Taichung City, making up 30% of all accidents. This highlights the critical need to address traffic safety for the elderly. To increase seniors' awareness of traffic safety and prevent accidents that cause enduring grief for families, the Second Precinct of the Taichung City Police Department, together with the Traffic Police Corps and the Taichung Motor Vehicle Office, organized the “Traffic Safety Experience for Older Adults” event on July 18 during the summer break at Chung Shan Hall in North District, Taichung City. The event aimed to stress the importance of traffic safety through practical experience, with the goal of reducing traffic accidents.
Unlike previous awareness campaigns where large vehicles were brought to schools mainly for students, this event featured a large bus and human shaped balloons to give older adults a chance to sit in the driver's seat and experience firsthand the “blind spots and radius difference between inner wheels of large vehicles.” This helped them understand the “blind spots” from the driver's perspective and the close proximity, pressure, and danger caused by “radius difference” between inner vehicle wheels. Additionally, realistic props like flashing yellow and red lights and pedestrian traffic lights were used to simulate various real-life scenarios, such as “recognizing main roads and feeder roads without traffic signals,” “ensuring pedestrians have enough green light time at signalized intersections,” and “changing lanes.” The event made a strong impression on the 80 senior participants. To make the event more engaging, the Taichung City Government's Social Affairs Bureau enlisted Providence University's community service vehicle to lead everyone in health exercises. The event also featured a raffle before it concluded, allowing the older adults to learn traffic safety, get some exercise, and take home gifts and prizes, making it a highly rewarding experience.
Chou Chun-Ming, Director of the Second Precinct, noted that the North District of Taichung City has around 28,000 residents aged 65 and above, making up 19.9% of the total population and making the community a “super-aged society.” He advised that older adults should wear bright-colored clothing when going out early in the morning or at dusk, use pedestrian crossings, and adhere to traffic signals. If there's not enough time to cross during a green light, they should wait for the next one and avoid crossing the road midway. When encountering large trucks (including gravel trucks), they should maintain a distance of at least 2 meters to prevent accidents from blind spots and radius difference between inner vehicle wheels. Given the recent hot weather, older adults feeling unwell before driving should seek medical assistance immediately and avoid driving to ensure their safety.