There are countless videos of road traffic accidents on YouTube. Cars vs people vs trucks vs anything. Having looked at these for a while the standard of driving really sucks, it seems that pedestrians are generally viewed as an inconvenience. A lot of accidents occour at pedestrian crossings, and these crossings are hardly ever marked or poorly maintained. Many crashes happen in snow and ice, which is something they should be used to but no, they drive like maniacs in these conditions.
How do you get a driving licence in Russia??? And the roads compared to europe are so wide in the cities, lots of space but yet the crashes still occur. And then the response of the people after the accident, someone is hit on a crossing and the other people just walk on by, a Russian thing?
Is there any yearly test on vehicles in Russia, any road safety requirements. I just find the whole thing so gobsmacking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suutJ4tc9Vo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=039kNccXtNc

and so many more, are standards really so low across the country?

It is very easy to answer with one word: mentality based on lack of responsibility (including the planning and maintenance of roads). The secondary reason is substandard and undermaintained equipment. I am from Lithuania, and I believe I am 'most qualified' to compare here because I have lived 'in both worlds'. In my childhood, Lithuania had something like 500,000-700,000 vehicles on its roads. Which resulted in, on average, about 12 casualties per week (for worse weeks, I remember weekends with 7 or 9 deadly accidents). Right now, although the standard of driving is still horrible by western understanding, it is 5 levels up in comparison to Russia. Although we have sth like 2,000,000 active vehicles on our roads, I don't think we exceed 3 casualties per week. Thus the mortality decreased by 12 times. My explanation is simplistic, but should give you the idea, hopefully...

Blyat!

Seriously, people go flying up to an intersection or junction at high speed and boom, massive accident. What do they expect…

Even overseas too… was driving to Nice Airport and Russian registered M5 BMW (matte grey, all blacked out windows) chops across the front of us to go across 3 lanes to take a right exit…

Russia was always cowboy country. Seems like nothing has changed.

I think one of the reasons there are so many videos from Russia is because there are a lot of dashcams so people can prove things after accidents.
So perhaps there are so many dashcams because there are so many accidents.
And then perhaps there are so many accidents because there are so many bad drivers.

Almost managed the 5 whys!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_whys

Just need someone to complete the 5th why as why there so many bad drivers!

At the end of the day, Russians have only had cars for 15-20 years. They aren't bad people, they just have no tradition of knowing how to drive. Although somehow I doubt Russian horsemanship was the same as German either.

Possibly cultural issues, but more likely simple logistics issues. Russia is not Switzerland, and it is not Japan.

Braybuddy wrote:

Russia was always cowboy country. Seems like nothing has changed.

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

Kiwirob wrote:

Braybuddy wrote:

Russia was always cowboy country. Seems like nothing has changed.

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

All the countries that suffered under Russian domination for so many years.

The large, straight streets are an incentive to drive fast in themselves. Especially if you know you can bribe the cops if they stop you.

In Western Europe it's common to make streets narrower, or less straight, on purpose, to slow down traffic. Then add speed bumps or other devices, and speed cameras. Speed limits are also going down, for example in Paris the limit is now 30Km/h.

Kiwirob wrote:

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

You could throw in the entire third world, but this thread is specifically about Russia.

One "Did I really see that?" moment was in Leningrad. A truck trundled at speed through the city center with the entire right back wheel missing . We spoke to some ITN journalists working in Moscow who said that if you hit someone while driving you had to drive back over them to make sure they were dead. Can't remember the reason why, but I think it was something to do with it being less hassle.

Braybuddy wrote:

Kiwirob wrote:

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

You could throw in the entire third world, but this thread is specifically about Russia.

One "Did I really see that?" moment was in Leningrad. A truck trundled at speed through the city center with the entire right back wheel missing . We spoke to some ITN journalists working in Moscow who said that if you hit someone while driving you had to drive back over them to make sure they were dead. Can't remember the reason why, but I think it was something to do with it being less hassle.

Show's the value of life there.
Also as seen in other threads about Russia at the moment...

scbriml wrote:

The vast majority of car crashes in Russia can be attributed to excess speed. And probably no small measure of vodka. Every time I see a video and there's a queue of traffic at a junction, I know someone is going to come smashing into it at massive speed!

Roads in Russia can be wide and reasonably well maintained but for some reason they insist on grade crossings, traffic lights etc. coming basically out of nowhere.

High-speeds, propensity of overtaking, very slow traffic mixed with almost reckless speeding and generally poorly protected intersections, on and off ramps etc make crashes extremely common.

LCDFlight wrote:

At the end of the day, Russians have only had cars for 15-20 years.

I don't think that's exactly true, the USSR had cars. But not everyone had one, and it was 1 per family at most. So much less traffic than today.

I was in Cuba recently (and rode in some soviet cars, to change from US ones) and it's a bit like that, despite poor roads and poor drivers, it works OK because there are not that many vehicles. The day the country changes and everyone gets a car, it will be a nightmare.

Kiwirob wrote:

Braybuddy wrote:

Russia was always cowboy country. Seems like nothing has changed.

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

In all my 31 years I have never used seatbelts when riding in a taxi, not sure why to be honest.

fallap wrote:

Kiwirob wrote:

Braybuddy wrote:

Russia was always cowboy country. Seems like nothing has changed.

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

In all my 31 years I have never used seatbelts when riding in a taxi, not sure why to be honest.

I had a taxi ride in Ukraine some years ago, I asked the driver if he could remove the device from the seatbelt so I could use it, he told me he was an excellent driver and had never had an accident. I said that’s great but you’re not in all those cars out there and can’t control them hitting you. He unlocked my belt. 20 minutes later he put on his own seatbelt and said ‘you know I’ve never though about other drivers only myself’.

fallap wrote:

Kiwirob wrote:

Braybuddy wrote:

Russia was always cowboy country. Seems like nothing has changed.

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

In all my 31 years I have never used seatbelts when riding in a taxi, not sure why to be honest.

You would in France or Australia. Drivers go very fast.

cpd wrote:

fallap wrote:

Kiwirob wrote:

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

In all my 31 years I have never used seatbelts when riding in a taxi, not sure why to be honest.

You would in France or Australia. Drivers go very fast.

I know it’s extremely irresponsible, I always put on my seatbelt religiously whenever I take a ride in a private car. But for some odd reason I never wear one when taking a taxi etc. I just returned from two weeks in Canada, I rented a car and always made sure to wear my seatbelt. Upon arriving at DCA airport I hail a LYFT and don’t wear my seatbelt during the 10 min ride home.

cpd wrote:

fallap wrote:

Kiwirob wrote:

It’s not just Russia, it’s Ukraine, Romania, Poland, Armenia and then it gets really crazy in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan.

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

In all my 31 years I have never used seatbelts when riding in a taxi, not sure why to be honest.

You would in France or Australia. Drivers go very fast.

Clearly you've never had the privilege of riding in a taxi driven by an Easter European.

Kiwirob wrote:

cpd wrote:

fallap wrote:

In all my 31 years I have never used seatbelts when riding in a taxi, not sure why to be honest.

You would in France or Australia. Drivers go very fast.

Clearly you've never had the privilege of riding in a taxi driven by an Easter European.

Better, I’ve had a Australian taxi driver with a 6L V8… I had to suggest he slow down. Made me extremely nervous - that Holden Caprice had no shortage of acceleration. The slingshot acceleration, sudden braking and weaving from one lane to the next… mmm no thanks. Normally the drivers from that company are okay but this one just terrible.

I had another one when I had come down with some food poisoning, I had to tell him to drive more smoothly or I might throw up in his car. That threat did the trick! I made it home then threw up for the rest of the afternoon…

But no, haven’t been to Eastern Europe.

readytotaxi wrote:

How do you get a driving licence in Russia???

My neighbor owns a driving school in Warsaw, and has recently told me some crazy stories about Ukrainians coming over here, 18-year-olds that have every category license but don't know what a clutch is. So, in other words, it's pretty standard practice to just buy a driver's license instead of going through the hassle of driving school and examinations. Judging by the quality of drivers in Russia (on you tube), I'm guessing it is/was the same.

cpd wrote:

I had another one when I had come down with some food poisoning, I had to tell him to drive more smoothly or I might throw up in his car. That threat did the trick! I made it home then threw up for the rest of the afternoon…

But no, haven’t been to Eastern Europe.

My mother does say that, except she does not have food poisoning. She becomes very white when scared so it works a treat.

Kiwirob wrote:

Braybuddy wrote:

In Ukraine all the taxi driver remove the seatbelts from their vehicles. It apparently proves they are good drivers.

I've been admonished for trying to wear belts in China for that very same excuse. Indeed, seat belts in China aren't too common anyway, yet no one knows how to drive well there.

But speeding isn't as much of an issue in China as I've seen in many other places. Greek cabs might as well be coffins with wheels.