I have not yet been to Beijing, (I hope to get a chance to go) but I found this statement very true on my visits to Hangzhou... and I was instructed by my fellow engineers/hosts to avoid looking at drivers while I crossed the street on foot. Very strange practice... avoiding eye contact while hoping to not be hit.

The lack of auto ownership currently is a huge asset to a country that has not built parking lots and parking garages... as evidenced in one of your pictures. I know that the area I was in while in Hangzhou was an all new industrial area not very close to the heart of the city, and yet all the buildings were located quite close to one another and did not have room for parking. Behind the buildings were hundreds of bicycles stacked together... but there simply is not room for everyone to drive. (or rather, to park)

Engineers visiting the United States find that they can easily get a California drivers license, even though they do not qualify for one in China... that tells me getting a license here is way too easy... especially after watching these guys drive here.