Is the standard of driving bad where you live ? Consider driving in Russia..it’s well, different !
Is the standard of driving bad where you live ? Consider driving in Russia..it’s well, different !
Driving in Russia is a lot worse than Europe and a lot better than China or India, despite its overall poor reputation for quality, consideration and observing the rules of the road, Russian driving is similar to any major city or capital, a generally mad, free for all with the emphasis on getting from A to B as quick as possible and before the car in front.
Having spoken to many Russian citizens on this subject there does seem to be a heavy influence on the road, from the male dominated society, with several women openly admitting that they drive enormous, expensive 4 x 4’s ( often on the insistence of their husbands ), not because they like them, but because they know that if they drive a small, economical hatchback or saloon, they’ll be forced off the road at every opportunity. Unfortunately, after having witnessed these situations many times myself, I understand perfectly.
The “slipping the clutch at the lights”, harassing the pedestrians with a racing engine is very common, unnecessary, unpleasant and unwelcome, but very common nonetheless.
Away from Moscow and St. Petersburg, where the road networks are reasonably well developed, roads in the provincial towns are generally of poor quality, often damaged and repaired using short term measures. Pot holes, sometimes of staggering proportions, are common and for a country with severe weather extremes, a surprisingly poor road camber or drainage system results in flooding and spray in astounding quantities.
Stop signs are reasonably well observed, although pedestrian crossings are another matter. The sheer enormity of painting and re-painting the white road markings throughout Russia during a reasonably short period without snow or rain, means that for a large part of the year pedestrian crossings are either not marked or not visible, or both, however there are signs beside the road indicating a crossing point.
To cross the road in Russia you must walk slowly but confidently and defiantly into the road at a recognised crossing, cars will stop, but only for the minimum time required, as soon as you are out of the firing line the cars will continue. Stand on the roadside, patiently waiting for cars to stop for you, as happens in some European countries, and you’ll stand there all day, the older Russian population are quite adept at walking blindly out in front of cars with their head down and eyes fixed ahead…miraculously there seem to be relatively few accidents. As with the West, there are signal controlled crossings as well, with a generous 80 second crossing time period.
Many cities and towns utilize a subway/underpass system to cross underneath major roads, peppered with boutiques, eateries, phone shops etc…
On the odd occasion there may be a traffic policeman controlling pedestrian crossings, listen and watch for his motion to you to cross, or risk a severe reprimand. Jay-walking ( sauntering across the road at a point other than a recognised crossing ) , though not actually illegal, is not a good idea, given the standard of driving prevalent across Russia.
In Russia you’ll find just about every car imaginable, somewhere, from the basic home grown Lada, through the vast array of import vehicles including stretch Hummers, Lincolns and limousines to the Bentley showrooms not far from Red Square in Moscow, you name it and you can have it, if you can pay. Some models are only available in limited numbers in Asia.
Petrol in Russia is cheap by Western standards, understandably so given their access to the enormous oil and petro-chemical industries, and car washes are to be found on the outskirts of the cities and towns along with the petrol stations.
In Russia the cars drive on the right. To obtain a driving license you must be 18 years old *, in good health** and take a road driving test at a local centre ( pass or fail ) for which a fee is charged. You must take and pass a practical test involving certain common manoeuvres ( 5 mistakes allowed ), and also a multiple choice theory test ( 2 errors accepted )
Upon successfully passing these three tests you will receive your plastic EU style driving license with the categories of vehicles that you are permitted to drive listed. These are :
A : Any type of motorbike
A2 : Similar to European A limited, as A does not limit the specifications of motorbikes. Bikes with engine displacements lower than 50 cc and speeds lower than 50 km/h are considered mopeds, and do not require a license.
B : Vehicle under 3.5 tons
B1 : Tricycles and quadricycles
C : Vehicle over 3.5 tons
D : Bus ( more than 8 passenger seats )
E : Non-motorised vehicle with special connection attachment to the rear of the A, B, C, D category vehicles.
* 16 for motorbikes, 20 for buses and minibuses.
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