City Driving: Beijing Police Blame Women Drivers for Traffic Ails

Police: Please just stand next to the car rather than drive it.

It seems that the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau has discovered the root of many of the city's traffic evils: women drivers.

As noted on The New York Times' terrific new Sinosphere blog, a series of posts on the Bureau's official Weibo page entitled "Female Drivers Please Note," reads like outtakes from a 1950s sitcom. Beijing police offer helpful hints for female drivers in the capital to avoid traffic accidents and overcome a "lack of sense of direction."

In one incident, a woman rear-ended a truck on an uncrowded road. "I hit the brakes, but my shoe got stuck," said the driver. Upon further investigation, the post says, it was discovered the offending driver was wearing ... gasp ... high-heeled shoes.

We applaud this effort to improve the quality of driving and of patronization of women in Beijing. We look forward to other installments in this "Better Driving" series, including "Bus Drivers: Please Note There Are Lane Lines," "Moto Drivers: Please Note There Are Traffic Lights and Traffic Rules," and "All Drivers: When You See An Ambulance, Move!"

Image: Autoblog.com