There are annual compilations of the craziest stuff, as well as ratings of the stupidest and most unbelievable things to take place on Russian roads. Every time I come to Russia, it takes me about two weeks to acclimatize to the road insanity. The driver was hearing impaired and had a sign saying he could not hear.
My friend, who spoke Russian, told me it said that. On our ride to our destination, the driver was cut off by another driver and became visibly furious. Lol, at one point, at a stop light, he rolled his window down and signaled with his arms that he wanted to kick his ass! I was like, WTF, man…! I tipped the taxi driver, I was not expecting that at all. We made it to our destination in one piece and on time. But as far as the roads, yes.
Your roads are crappy. Especially when it rains or snows. A Nissan X-Trail. We dodged and weaved past cars on the footpath until a bridge while flashing our hazard lights.
I made a mistake of pointing out a Ferrari, so we did everything in the trick book 5 lanes across to get me beside the Ferrari for a look. I survived and arrived at the hotel with this great story of my airport transfer in peak traffic in Moscow.
Love it! Not everyone was as lucky in getting an amazing tale of a near-death experience out of their rides. Some reported rather mundane experiences, where everything ended up being in perfect order. It gets confusing, so much so that some choose to register their vehicles to a permanent resident to whom they have a connection.
Instead, tickets are paid through a major bank. The reason? Handing money to a police officer could be considered a bribe. Due to money being pocketed in the past and tickets going unpaid, the bank now handles all traffic-based transactions. Some cities in Russia are more difficult to drive in than others. Moscow, for example, is especially tricky. The Garden Ring gets so backed up that it often leaves drivers stranded in traffic for hours. Unlike other main roads, the Garden Ring sees traffic jams all day, not only at peak hours.
Driving in any country requires a license, insurance, and registration. First and foremost, non-residents are required to carry a passport, visa, and migration card. A license is an obvious necessity, along with a laminated registration card and digital or paper copy of insurance. With all that paperwork, tourists should earn a college degree by default. One of the cool things the traffic system in Russia implemented recently is paid parking via SMS messaging.
Unfortunately, this feature is only available on phones from Russia, making it extra-difficult for travelers looking to pay for street parking. Tourists who invest in a SIM card from Russia can pay for parking by sending a text to It seems like a fun way to pay. Just make sure texts are sent to the right number or a ticket will be issued. Oh, bother! This road rule is less confusing and more concerning.
Traffic violations are so high on major roadways in Russia that the country installed cameras across all cities. So, not only should drivers be on the lookout for local fuzz but a multitude of recording equipment, as well. Of course, if all drivers follow the rules of the road, these concerns are minimal.
Traffic violations caught via cam are sent by mail and expected to be paid in full within one month. On the bright side, early payment means those penalized only pay half-price. Despite the excessive use of road rules in Russia, there are seldom enough traffic signs to tell foreigners what to expect.
From speed indicators to warning signs, drivers who are unfamiliar with roads could be in for some serious confusion.
An inability to read them! Signs in Russia sometimes have translations into other languages but oftentimes not every language. As we mentioned above, some regions of Russia see arctic weather conditions and intense snowfall. This puts a whole new spin on the concept of winter driving. Forget about slapping on some snow tires and hoping for the best, Moscow drivers see such low temperatures that tires seize and locks freeze.
When travelling during winter, be prepared to maneuver through snow, ice, slush, and hail. Some tourist sites recommend taking a winter driving course before traveling to Moscow during its cold season, especially for foreigners from sunny climates.
Ever wanted to be part of an exclusive club? While driving in Russia, tourists could happen upon another driver flashing their lights. It used to be pretty simple — you are speeding, you are stopped by a police officer. You start a conversation and ask, whether you can pay a fine on the spot. And some money slipped in the driving license usually did the trick. Now it is more difficult or impossible, if a camera caught your movement.
Typical traffic jams. Roads: Yes, there are. Roads in Moscow are great, but if you go km outside of Moscow — roads are pretty bad and in many cases — really narrow. That is a real obstacle to the safe driving even if you are a good driver.
If you plan to travel far in Russia — taking a train or a plane is a safer option Road rules and density of traffic: A lot of road rules are strange and traffic density in Moscow is crazy. It is objectively difficult to drive here even if you have best intentions. Traffic jams are horrible and we have our ways to deal with them. I wrote a separate post about the former. Russians do not believe in insurance. But they we started to buy car insurance since the probability of using it is very high.
Russians do not believe in safety belts. I recently listened to a radio program about Volvo. That is big, really big. And that system will never work in Russia. Other safety measures?
A Lot of Russian drivers will have tiny icons, glued to the car panel. Those icons really do protect one from a bad luck. And if the driver is not Christian, that function could be delegated to a string of beads.
Russians do believe in the power of dash cams! They often help to prove the case. Even if it the case is a meteor, falling from the sky! In fact yes, there is. I am speaking only about Moscow, but Moscow drivers have started to obey many of the rules fines are too heavy And, surprisingly, in the last year or two people started to be more nice to each other on the roads. What I like especially is the following habit: if you let another car to change lanes in front of you — that car will most certainly blink emergence lights to you two or three times.
That means Thank You. And that usually makes me smile and be happy. Also, the paid parking in the center made center of Moscow a more bearable place for driving. The direction is correct. We just need more cameras and more expensive parking and things will improve. There are a lot of really serious problems in other countries too.
Some countries even have earthquakes. But most well-developed countries do not have crazy drivers, because they have good roads and rules and policemen that are not corrupted. Why is that? Because policemen in the US and Europe make a good salary and would not want to risk that salary and the benefits.
But I think Russia is moving to that direction too. I am usually very critical, but even I think that things are improving, at least in Moscow. Finally, let me tell you a funny story, which may be contrary to the text above. One day, appr 7 years ago, I was driving from Vail to Denver to pick up a friend from the airport. I was late to meet him and I was speeding up on the second half of the road where it is really straight. No surprised I was pulled over by a police car. I was trying to remember, what they do in the US for cars that really speed up in their own lane.
But when he saw me he said something that I still remember and am grateful for. But now I clearly see it was the other car. Have you seen that car? And he gave me my license back and asked to be really careful.
I learned a lot from that. I will never speed up carelessly on Denver or US roads. That officer gave me a chance to avoid a huge problem and made me think I can drive better. Thank you, officer! Hope you read my blog now! With youtube and dash cams, we see only the worst of the worst.
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