hit and runs, and policia de transito

great peruvian saying:

choque y fuga = literally means hit and run,
but colloquially, also used to mean "one night stand".

Which reminds me, Lima is a giant, gridlocked city. To combat this, the government seems to employ inordinate amounts of traffic cops at every major intersection. They wear these sort of equestrian outfits and white helmets and wave people around with hands and whistles. They are also, noticeably almost always young, hot women.

I thought it was just me - and I formed a theory that macho men are more likely to pay attention to these traffic cops than other specimens doing the same job. Asked around a bit, though, and it seems a few other people have noticed the female bias. I must admit that those ladies look quite authoritative and sexy in their knee high boots, helmets, and hair nets. Weird, i know, for hairnets to be attractive. You'll just have to come visit to see for yourself.

However, I looked into it and it turns out it is a big sexist scam, though they claim not for the reasons that I describe above (mind in the gutter).

"A partir de mañana, la Policía de Tránsito peruana sacará de sus filas en forma paulatina a 500 agentes varones de esa unidad policial, los que serán reemplazados por policías mujeres bajo la premisa de que las agentes son más drásticas a la hora de aplicar las papeletas, muy estrictas y difíciles de sobornar."

translation: As of March 2009, the peruvian Transit Police removed 500 male officers, to be replaced with female oficers based on the premise that the females are tougher when it comes to giving out tickets, very strict, and more difficult to corrupt.

I asked around and this was generally thought to be true. "The women, if you try to bribe them say 'What, do you think I am for sale? Am I a prostitute???'" -said my friend V.

I like this very practical approach to getting the job done. Sometimes, it seems, equal opportunity isn't as good:)