The video: For reasons known only to themselves, the parents of a Chinese toddler recently filmed her driving a car down a busy four-lane highway. The video-camera-wielding parents can be heard in the background, shouting encouragement and advice (in Chinese) from the back seat. (Watch the "shocking" video below.) At one point, the little speedster passes an SUV and her father says: "Concentrate! Be careful when passing other vehicles." When the father finally says, "Jia Zheng, stop the car. Let daddy drive," the girl pulls over, and hops out of the driver's seat easily — she's not wearing a seat belt. She pops a pacifier into her mouth, and her dad takes over — after moving stilts she uses to reach the gas pedal and brakes.
The reaction: "Part of me is like, um, speechless," says Stephanie Precourt at Babble. Obviously, it is totally irresponsible to let such a young kid get anywhere near other cars, or pedestrians! There's no question that this is "disturbing," says Ed Flanagan at NBC News. But you have to admit, this little girl's "adept driving skills and her coolness on the road, a trait not always apparent on China's modern roadways," are pretty impressive. Yes, the preschooler is a good driver, says Justin Hyde at Jalopnik. But "no one in this video — including the parents — should be driving anything larger than a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe." See for yourself:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
6 must-see homes in BostonFeature Featuring a factory-turned-loft in South Boston and a wraparound roof deck in South End
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tourTalking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
-
The lesser-known Elsinore fault is a risk to CaliforniaThe explainer A powerful earthquake could be on the horizon
