XN000022-1978-03-27 — Page 3

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MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1978

OVER 15,000 MORE VEHICLES REGISTERED LAST YEAR

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THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED MOTOR VEHICLES IN HONG KONG STOOD AT 207,521 AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, AN INCREASE OF 15,775 OR 8.22 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT TODAY, THE INCREASE WAS MAINLY DUE TO THE RISE IN OWNERSHIP OF PRIVATE CARS FROM 113,665 TO 122,856 AND IMPORTS OF GOODS VEHICLES FROM 36,553 TO 42,131.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF LICENSED DRIVERS ALSO ROSE BY SIX PER

CENT TO 555,715 AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.

A TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT BECAUSE OF A CHANGE OF POLICY IN MARCH 1977, LOCAL RESIDENTS WITH ACCEPTABLE OVERSEAS DRIVING LICENCES WERE NOW ABLE TO OBTAIN HONG KONG DRIVING LICENCES WITHOUT A TEST.

LAST YEAR ALSO SAW A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS FOR PRIVATE CAR AND MOTOR CYCLE DRIVING TESTS..

BY THE END OF 1977, THERE WERE 113,854 CANDIDATES WAITING FOR WRITTEN TESTS ON HIGHWAY CODES AND FOR ROAD TESTS ON. THESE TWO CLASSES OF VEHICLE, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 43.9 PER CENT. OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

AT THE SAME TIME, A TOTAL OF 11,162 CANDIDATES WERE AWAITING TO TAKE THEIR DRIVING TESTS FOR LICENCES TO DRIVE TAXIS, PUBLIC (HIRE) CARS, GOODS VEHICLES, OMNIBUSES AND LIGHT BUSES.

DURING THE YEAR, THE INDOOR DRIVING TRAINING CENTRE RUN BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT HAS PROVED TO BE POPULAR AS ALL COURSES WERE FULLY BOOKED. MORE THAN 3,000 PEOPLE RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS AT THE CENTRE LAST YEAR, BRINGING THE TOTAL TO 11,339 SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN JUNE 1974.

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