Some shopping centre in China has opened a car park that offers women drivers bigger-than-normal parking spaces to accommodate what it sees as their special needs. The spots are three feet wider than normal with lines painted in a pink and light purple color scheme. To improve visibility, it will feature three lights in every parking space.

Wang Zheng, an official at the Wanxiang Tiancheng shopping centre in Hebei province's Shijiazhuang city, told AFP the women-only parking lot aimed to address women's "strong sense of colour and different sense of distance." The spaces are "one metre wider than normal parking spaces," Wang said, adding that the mall had "installed signs and security monitoring equipment that corresponded more to women's needs." One female driver interviewed by the Hebei Youth Daily newspaper said she appreciated the gesture. The driver, who was named only as Miss Zhang, said: "Female drivers just are not as good as male drivers, technically. The added space helps us to park safely. I think it shows respect for women. I hope that other facilities will take women's needs into consideration."

Driving in China is notoriously dangerous, with nearly 73,500 people killed in road accidents last year, or just over 200 fatalities per day, according to police statistics.

Source: Hebei Youth Daily
Source: AFP
Source: PB

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