Chinese women insulted by driving advice from the Beijing police
Models stands beside a MG6 Btcc car during the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. China’s capitalism may be cut-throat like America’s, but it’s played under an entirely different set of rules, says Andrew Hubert, publisher of ChinaSolved.com.
The Beijing police force has angered female drivers in China by declaring that women are “inadequate drivers” and publishing a guide to improving their skills behind the wheel.
The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau listed the tips on its Sina Weibo page on Tuesday under the heading, “Women Drivers Please Take Care to Avoid These Mistakes.”
The post tackles six problems the Beijing police say are common with female drivers, including leaving the hand break on, “always forgetting to switch gears” and panicking after accidents.
“Women drivers are prone to panic after an accident. They usually draw a complete mental blank, providing opportunities for criminals,” the post explains.
The police also advise women to avoid wearing high heels and tie their long hair back when driving.
Chinese women took to the web to complain. "Many male drivers are no different. They think they are good at driving, but most car crashes are caused by men," one user on Weibo, called Shantianxinzai, wrote.
"Surely this official microblog is planning to devote its next postings to tips for male drivers?" another Weibo user asked.
The World Health Organization estimates that, globally, men under age 25 are nearly three times as likely to be killed in a car crash as women of the same age.
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