Why people drive the way they do
Driving in Beijing can be a dangerous experience because traffic is often congested and, worse, infested with reckless drivers who tend to cut into lanes or jump red lights or speed on emergency lanes to get ahead of others.
Recently, lawlessness on the roads hit headlines when first-aid workers urged drivers to make way for ambulances after an injured woman died in one that got stuck in a traffic jam. The situation has become so alarming that authorities are mulling mounting surveillance cameras on ambulances to film drivers who refuse to budge.
This week, police launched a three-month crackdown on unruly drivers and perpetual traffic rule violators. All special units will employ chengguan, the feared urban administrators, who know every alley and road like the back of their hands.
