Comments on: Driving in Russia

Driving in Russia

alms — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:44:16 -0800

Driving in Russia. (SLYT) (warning: contains footage of many many car accidents.)

By: Foci for Analysis

Foci for Analysis — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:49:19 -0800

Apparently dash cams are very common in Russia because insurance fraud and corruption is so common:

Dash-cam footage is the only real way to substantiate your claims in the court of law. Forget witnesses. Hit and runs are very common and insurance companies notoriously specialize in denying claims. Two-way insurance coverage is very expensive and almost completely unavailable for vehicles over ten years old-the drivers can only get basic liability. Get into a minor or major accident and expect the other party to lie to the police or better yet, flee after rear-ending you. Since your insurance won't pay unless the offender is found and sued, you'll see dash-cam videos of post hit and run pursuits for plate numbers.

Compilation of insurance scams caught by dash cams.

By: bondcliff

bondcliff — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:49:38 -0800

I saw this the other day. I think my favorite are the helicopter and the jet, because WTF?

By: NoMich

NoMich — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:51:53 -0800

I liked the two guys that get out of their t-boned car and just calmly walk away with an air of "Well, that's that. Laters." Here it is.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:52:55 -0800

Previously.

By: prefpara

prefpara — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:53:06 -0800

The thing where the cars try to pass slow-moving trucks by moving into the oncoming traffic lane and dodging oncoming cars? That is how my dad drives. Every trip to Russia that I survive feels like a win.

By: fatbird

fatbird — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:54:36 -0800

My favourite is the pedestrian nudged out of the way by the car, so he pulls a gun and pops a few shots at the offender.

By: echo target

echo target — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:56:27 -0800

The pedestrian at 4:50 has excellent reflexes.

By: Damienmce

Damienmce — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:56:45 -0800

In Soviet Russia car dri...oh I cant be bothered.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 07:57:45 -0800

I was expecting abject terror, but after experiencing the highways in China I don't think any road footage can ever truly scare me again.

By: hellojed

hellojed — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:00:00 -0800

Favorite bit, mainly for the extremely Russian yelling.

By: zscore

zscore — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:00:00 -0800

Sick moves!

By: Mooseli

Mooseli — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:00:31 -0800

Holy crap is it illegal to *not* drink and drive in Russia?

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:01:33 -0800

I watched this a few days ago. What really wowed me was the truck driver who was thrown through the windshield while still holding the wheel, hit the ground with his feet and walked away.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:03:57 -0800

I like the forklift thingy driver who hits all those parked cars at 3:24. I feel your pain, dude. I can't fucking drive those things either.

By: griphus

griphus — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:04:50 -0800

Holy crap is it illegal to *not* drink and drive in Russia? If you have the money to bribe the police, you can do whatever the hell you want in a moving vehicle. If you do not have enough money to bribe the police, you will get fined for farting quietly with the windows up.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:06:16 -0800

Also wtf is going on at 4:00 is it voldemort

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:06:16 -0800

PetTip: If your cat is bored with Bird & Squirrel videos, Russian Auto Accidents will fit in a pinch.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:06:42 -0800

WHATTA COUNTRY!

By: echo target

echo target — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:09:14 -0800

Looks like the guy at 4:00 ran over a downed section of overhead power line for the trams. It was still connected at one end and got caught up in his tires, so it pulled him right over.

By: colie

colie — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:10:42 -0800

Includes a horse taking it to the limit!

By: fight or flight

fight or flight — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:11:23 -0800

I keep thinking I have seen the craziest one, then I get to something like this and I start to think Russia is directed by Michael Bay.

By: colie

colie — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:14:18 -0800

And the guy on the motorcycle and sidecar at 3.03 has to be Hans Moleman.

By: zamboni

zamboni — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:16:06 -0800

Previously. For which see 6:06.

By: stltony

stltony — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:16:31 -0800

In Soviet Russia......HOLY SHIT! What just happened?!

By: KokuRyu

KokuRyu — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:16:50 -0800

The fire truck that gets cut off and then rams the offending SUV was my favourite.

By: natteringnabob

natteringnabob — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:18:43 -0800

This is just what I needed to see before I travel for the holidays.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:18:50 -0800

For at least 25% of these accidents, as far as I can tell, there is literally no cause. It's like the vehicle is just like FUCK EVERYTHING I WANNA BE A BALLERINA.

By: uncleozzy

uncleozzy — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:19:47 -0800

Every part of this is my favorite part.

By: Xurando

Xurando — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:23:20 -0800

I always live by "beware of the tank in the wrong lane."

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:25:32 -0800

Here's pedestrians in Russia TRYING to get hit by cars.

By: sparklemotion

sparklemotion — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:29:49 -0800

For at least 25% of these accidents, as far as I can tell, there is literally no cause. Vodka is colorless and mostly odorless.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:30:12 -0800

Okay, the very best one is at the end where the dude whose car is ALREADY in the snowy ditch is filming everyone else sliding into the snowy ditch.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:31:37 -0800

I guess pouring vodka on a tractor tire could make it fall off?

By: kmz

kmz — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:31:38 -0800

I was expecting abject terror, but after experiencing the highways in China I don't think any road footage can ever truly scare me again. I dunno, I've experienced plenty of the roads in China, and I'd never dare actually drive myself there, but holy shit the stuff in this video makes Chinese drivers look like Oldsmobile owners going to church.

By: tatiana131

tatiana131 — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:32:02 -0800

My friends' comment upon watching this video - 'I love how relatively calm everyone is. The shit is hitting the fan and all you hear a low whistle'.

By: DU

DU — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:33:51 -0800

If your cat is bored with Bird & Squirrel videos, Russian Auto Accidents will fit in a pinch. Read this first as Moose and Squirrel.

By: sparklemotion

sparklemotion — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:34:04 -0800

I guess pouring vodka on a tractor tire could make it fall off? Drinking vodka while installing said tire might.

By: KHAAAN!

KHAAAN! — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:34:17 -0800

Driving in Russia looks like real-life Grand Theft Auto.

By: bricksNmortar

bricksNmortar — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:36:39 -0800

at :58... listen to what's playing on the radio - FTW!

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:38:16 -0800

holy shit the stuff in this video makes Chinese drivers look like Oldsmobile owners going to church. Right, but here it all happens on nice clear roads and straight highways with flat land on either side, not on roads where one side is mountain and the other side is DEATH PLUNGE. just say no to death plunge

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:39:10 -0800

Бля!

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:39:30 -0800

As someone who breaks out into cold sweats if the car goes over 40 and has recurring nightmares about eight lane highways this is basically the worst thing I've ever seen.

By: orme

orme — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:39:41 -0800

I really, really hope that if this dashcam craze ever spreads to the US, they'll have the sense to add a view of the driver's face.

By: dmd

dmd — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:46:58 -0800

Words to live by: Behind every jackknifing tractor-trailer you narrowly miss hitting is another one you're gonna hit.

By: davejay

davejay — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:52:20 -0800

Includes a horse taking it to the limit! I heard this in Jack Black's voice, and for a moment thought it was another kind of video entirely.

By: rongorongo

rongorongo — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:53:49 -0800

My friends' comment upon watching this video - 'I love how relatively calm everyone is. The shit is hitting the fan and all you hear a low whistle'. My initial thought was that was a compilation shot from a single vehicle undergoing an extended and very unlucky Russian road trip while being driven by a couple of bipolar drunks who have learnt to be surprised by nothing. In fact they could make a pretty good movie by just adding in the requisite scenes to tell that story.

By: charred husk

charred husk — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:54:13 -0800

dobbs:
"Here's pedestrians in Russia TRYING to get hit by cars."

Looks like regular pedestrian traffic in Toledo.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:54:26 -0800

Here you go, davejay.

By: Kadin2048

Kadin2048 — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:59:48 -0800

I really, really hope that if this dashcam craze ever spreads to the US, they'll have the sense to add a view of the driver's face. One of my friends does Autocross and has a neat setup in his car that records simultaneously from two front-facing exterior cameras and one rear-facing one, plus another showing the driver. It also does engine telemetry and a GPS position plot. It's pretty entertaining just to watch recordings of someone going around cones in a parking lot at high speed; if they became common the results from actual over-the-road driving would be awesome.

By: ceribus peribus

ceribus peribus — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:00:54 -0800

This is why we can't have flying cars.

By: eye of newt

eye of newt — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:00:57 -0800

In Soviet Russia car dri...oh I cant be bothered.--Damienmce In Russia: If a car wants to make a left turn, it makes a left turn--traffic, pedestrians be damned. If someone is going slow ahead of you, go around him. Don't bother checking for visibility or oncoming traffic. To some drivers, the gas pedal is an on/off switch. Some drivers are absolute zen masters (when a large object drops in front of them and they skillfully, calmly, and effortlessly avoid it).

By: davejay

davejay — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:05:33 -0800

I grew up in Chicago; I live in Los Angeles; I've been driving for 25 years, I drive 20,000 miles a year on average, and I take cross-country trips. Accidents with tanks and such are very unique in this video, the majority of these just remind me of similar accidents I've seen over the years. my father used to tell a story about his Rambler station wagon, and how it was a great car until he got rear-ended by a delivery truck; he got out to yell at the driver, completely full of anger and ready to fight, and the driver's seat was empty: the truck's brake had failed, so the truck had rolled down the hill empty.

By: philip-random

philip-random — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:07:09 -0800

this is what comes from having a national anthem that ROCKS way too hard ...

By: Gev

Gev — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:07:51 -0800

Meanwhile, in Finland ...

By: samofidelis

samofidelis — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:08:27 -0800

Trees hate Russian cars???

By: Inspector.Gadget

Inspector.Gadget — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:13:15 -0800

At 7:40 there is a surreal "haters gonna hate" moment.

By: Inspector.Gadget

Inspector.Gadget — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:14:24 -0800

Also the plaintive wail of the police car siren at 8:30 is HILARIOUS.

By: Silentgoldfish

Silentgoldfish — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:22:01 -0800

I've been on roads in Russia, China and Mongolia but NOTHING compares to driving around East Africa. How anyone in the country manages to die of anything but road accidents is mindblowing. Where I live in Melbourne there's always the go to news story about the "carnage on the roads." I think we're up to 350 people dead so far this year. There was an ad on Kenyan TV while we were there: they're up to 350,000 and climbing just for 2012.

By: fight or flight

fight or flight — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:27:48 -0800

350,000? What the fuck are these people driving? Combine harvesters?

By: kmz

kmz — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:33:01 -0800

That can't be right... that would be almost 1% of the population. This table lists the highest fatality rate per 100,000 population to be around 50, for Eritrea. Kenya is up there, but for 350k fatalities in a country of approximately 43 million people, that number would be over 800.

By: staggering termagant

staggering termagant — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:33:13 -0800

When I lived in Russia in 1993 they had just gotten these new things called gas stations. Like, Western-type places where you could get gas outside and then go into a store to pay and maybe also buy some gum or smokes or other things. We went there to write an article about it because it was Big News, and we found a clean, brightly lit store that sold nothing but...vodka. Not even any mixers. In fairness, there was a tiny little wire stand in the corner that sold wiper blades, but other than that it was all different sizes of vodka bottles for sale and that's it. Russia is the opposite of a public service announcement. one of the reasons I miss it so.

By: Bulgaroktonos

Bulgaroktonos — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:34:53 -0800

Some Googling makes it look like the actual number is around 3,000.

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:35:39 -0800

Like, Western-type places where you could get gas outside and then go into a store to pay and maybe also buy some gum or smokes or other things. We went there to write an article about it because it was Big News, and we found a clean, brightly lit store that sold nothing but...vodka. Replace Vodka with Beer and you've got Quebec.

By: rodii

rodii — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:35:57 -0800

I saw some crazy stuff in Nairobi in 94 (like a fully loaded matatu sliding sideways into four lanes of oncoming traffic on the Westlands roundabout) but for the most part I didn't think it was too bad. A lot of accidents happened at night, though, because drivers tended to drive with their headlights off (so as not to "deplete their batteries"). And cross-country truck drivers would sometimes park their trucks in the road to take a nap, which tended to be a problem for the no-headlights drivers. But I have trouble believing the 350,000 figure.

By: zombieflanders

zombieflanders — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:41:02 -0800

Vodka is colorless and mostly odorless. So, most Russians have spent years building up an immunity to it? That explains a lot.

By: davejay

davejay — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:42:48 -0800

Russia is the opposite of a public service announcement. There's an epic "in Soviet Russia" joke in there somewhere, but I'm not the man to make it.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:42:48 -0800

I like the pedestrian at 3:15 that almost gets hit, then kicks the car. "You try to kill me, I put a foot up your ass!"

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:43:05 -0800

Yeah, 350k is a crazy made up number, I assume there was something very significant lost in translation somewhere.

By: cmoj

cmoj — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:44:41 -0800

On one hand most people's reactions make me want to visit Russia. On the other hand it seems that vehicles and obstacles could crash into me from any angle at any moment. Seems dangerous.

By: davejay

davejay — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:45:05 -0800

also this small contribution from North America

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:48:39 -0800

I was watching more videos on TwisterNederland and realized: It's only funny if nobody is seriously injured.

By: Blue Meanie

Blue Meanie — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:48:49 -0800

If you like this sort of thing (and if you're reading this you probably do) /r/Roadcam is a subreddit devoted to them. Here's a good one where nobody gets hurt.

By: benito.strauss

benito.strauss — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:51:42 -0800

Why would anybody ever invade Russia?

By: Bulgaroktonos

Bulgaroktonos — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:52:10 -0800

I once spent an evening watching this reality show about a driving school. It was awful and nerve wracking and pretty much every two seconds some idiot was trying to merge onto the highway going like 15 MPH and was nearly killed, but there were never any actual accidents. These videos are like the exact opposite. I know there's going to be a horrible accident so I can just relax and wait for it. It's a lot better (for me as a viewer anyway).

By: urbanwhaleshark

urbanwhaleshark — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:52:46 -0800

On the other hand, the tyre-replacement industry is booming.

By: Silentgoldfish

Silentgoldfish — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:52:59 -0800

Well, it was an ad. There was another ad proposing that alcohol is the root of all the problems in Kenya but if you drink brand x vodka instead all these problems would go away, so I don't think that advertising is entirely regulated there! Still, 5 minutes in a matatu (minibus) and I can completely believe that 1% of the population is killed on the roads each year!

By: Bulgaroktonos

Bulgaroktonos — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:56:25 -0800

Still, 5 minutes in a matatu (minibus) and I can completely believe that 1% of the population is killed on the roads each year! Looking for the actual number, I found this article claiming that studies had shown that accidents in Kenya could be significantly reduced simply by adding stickers to the minibuses reminding passengers that they were allowed to tell the driver not to be reckless.

By: [insert clever name here]

[insert clever name here] — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:58:17 -0800

Welp. I'm not going to Russia. And if I somehow end up there anyway, not only will I never get in a car, but intend to stay several car lengths from any roads.

By: pazazygeek

pazazygeek — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:59:54 -0800

So once I was like, I can't go to Russia, I am not tough enough. Now I am like, I can't watch videos of Russia, I am not tough enough. You win Russia. YOU WIN.

By: staggering termagant

staggering termagant — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:59:55 -0800

Also, when I was there, there were these seven Armenians in a Lada (not the start of a dirty joke), and they were driving on a main road in Moscow. Unbeknownst to them, underneath the road a hot-water pipe had burst and had eroded all the dirt away, leaving just a thin crust of asphalt over a thirty-foot-deep crater with boiling water in the bottom of it. There were so many people in the car that it was too heavy for the asphalt to support, so it crashed through the street and tumbled into the hole, boiling the seven passengers alive. Another time, on Tverskaya in downtown, a big truck carrying gas tried to squeeze past a tram in heavy traffic. As the tank of the truck passed the tram, the tram's side mirror ripped a hole in the cheap metal of the tank and all the gas poured out in the road, on the bus, and on the nearby cars. When traffic started moving again a spark came from the tramline, and everyone on the tram died horribly. The next day, there was a picture in the newspaper of a street cleaner lifting up the remains of a charred body on the sidewalk (someone who had jumped, blazing, from the tram) in order to sweep under it with one of those brooms made of birch branches. This kind of thing happened ALL THE TIME in Russia and was so typical that it was rarely remarked upon. As an American who is used to lawsuits over the lack of Light Ranch Dressing at the Golden Corral, it was really hard to get used to this. Your number could come up at any time, for any -- or no -- reason. I think this is the way most of the world is, actually. You roll the dice and you take your chances. How I wish our pesky government would stop regulating things so I'd have the opportunity to be randomly killed by exploding boilers or falling concrete.

By: [insert clever name here]

[insert clever name here] — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:01:47 -0800

And actually, this video explains the taxi ride with the Russian taxi driver that took me to my hotel from SEA-TAC . . .

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:02:55 -0800

i suspect you get get rich selling lug nuts in Russia.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:07:20 -0800

Also, when I was there, there were these seven Armenians in a Lada Protip: if you are in Iceland and you need a car to get around do not choose the Lada because "you've never driven one before!" cause it will be made entirely of gunmetal, have windshield wipers that get stuck halfway, everything will be Russian and when the car stops dead in the middle of the highway (or on a mountain road with no passing space or railing before the huge death drop down) your car-phobic husband is going to take the time to remember this event in vivid detail to use against you at some point in the near future.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:11:24 -0800

It is pretty safe to say that you should never choose a Lada in any country.

By: Mothlight

Mothlight — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:12:53 -0800

The first time I visited Las Vegas, back in the 1990s, I rode with a cab driver who was extremely ... efficient. New York cabbies had nothing on this guy. He blazed down crowded side streets at upwards of 60, 70 mph, veering from lane to lane to avoid, by inches, the slower vehicles. He tore through red lights at full speed after a cursory check of his periphery. He avoided traffic on the strip by (yes!) driving the cab onto sidewalks. At one point I started wondering: Is this a put-on? Could I be imagining this? Am I on candid camera or should I be, you know, concerned for my life? Anyway, he got me to my destination, flipped off the meter, stretched his right arm across the top of the passenger seat and turned to face me. Then, with a thick accent and an absolutely deadpan expression on his face, he declared, "I learn to drive in ze Russian special forces." I tipped him well and got the fuck out of that car, but I never forgot the ride.

By: brokkr

brokkr — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:20:49 -0800

Need a cab? Dial 1-800-SPETSNAZ!

By: Blue Meanie

Blue Meanie — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:22:12 -0800

Why would anybody ever invade Russia? ... and so Hitler's drive to Moscow was cut short when his Panzer IVs became uninsurable due to endless Lada-driving fraudsters speeding in front of the Nazi tanks and slamming on their brakes. And now you know... the rest of the story.

By: atomicmedia

atomicmedia — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:25:30 -0800

My personal American favorite - Flying a Buick

By: kmz

kmz — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:33:10 -0800

USA wise, there's always this driver who must have really been in a hurry to catch a flight at DFW.

By: i_have_a_computer

i_have_a_computer — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:57:38 -0800

Vodka is a hell of a drink.

By: dov3

dov3 — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:18:02 -0800

And these people have nuclear weapons?

By: workerant

workerant — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:23:11 -0800

Includes a horse taking it to the limit! posted by colie The horse was in a crosswalk, so I think she had the right of way.

By: This, of course, alludes to you

This, of course, alludes to you — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:45:27 -0800

don't stop me now 'cause I'm havin' a good time, havin' a

By: This, of course, alludes to you

This, of course, alludes to you — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:50:43 -0800

sad "hulk walking away" song

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:51:32 -0800

This is like thirteen straight minutes of that South Park scene where Timmy puts on Kenny's coat and almost gets killed five times in four seconds.

By: pravit

pravit — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:08:07 -0800

Op-pa....BLYAAAAAAAD!

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:34:05 -0800

i'd like to snark about how terrible russian drivers are but there's just been a car accident involving two cars and a school bus right outside my window, so maybe i shouldn't

By: MechEng

MechEng — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:48:59 -0800

Anyone know the song playing at 0:02?

By: MechEng

MechEng — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:52:27 -0800

Just looked in youtube comments and found this... Suck my big fat.... Electro (mecky's one)

By: RandlePatrickMcMurphy

RandlePatrickMcMurphy — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:48:54 -0800

This one time, in Russian band camp...

By: Inspector.Gadget

Inspector.Gadget — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:06:07 -0800

In closing, the "fuck you and your sidecar" tap at 3:00, accompanied by the accordion music, is genius.

By: [insert clever name here]

[insert clever name here] — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:06:50 -0800

Okay, all snarking aside, why are the roads in Russia such a complete hazard? I'm sure it's not just more video evidence because of the dash cams, some of these pre-crash maneuvers look like things I've never seen anyone attempt here. Is there just no enforcement of traffic laws, or no traffic laws period? Is it really explained away as simply as drunk driving? Are the cars just poorly kept up - there were more than a few that it looks like one or more car should have been able to avoid but didn't stop in time or, you know, at all.

By: Nomyte

Nomyte — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 15:08:26 -0800

I would guess the first. Russian traffic cops are notorious for extorting bribes from drivers and doing very little else, to the point that their contribution to road safety is either nil or negative.

By: Eyebrows McGee

Eyebrows McGee — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:08:42 -0800

This is the best video I have ever seen on the internet, my cheeks hurt from laughing. Although I have a vague sense I probably shouldn't be laughing so hard at car accidents.

By: rebent

rebent — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:10:16 -0800

Russia: The libertarian paradise. You want wheels that stay on your car? We'll let the free market take care of that.

By: davejay

davejay — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:16:48 -0800

Watching people drive like completely insane idiots, from the point of view of their dashcam, which is designed to protect them but just shows how incredibly reckless and foolish they are, is a bit of a disconnect.

By: KathrynT

KathrynT — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:22:28 -0800

If you do not have enough money to bribe the police, you will get fined for farting quietly with the windows up. My brother did the Mongol Rally in 2006, and his co-driver got done for drunk driving while he was 1) stone-cold sober (in fact, he never drinks at all and 2) being towed. I showed my bro this video, and he said "The russian mindset involves a great deal of fatalism that lends to kind of a devil-may-care approach to things like road safety. I kinda miss it."

By: KathrynT

KathrynT — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:25:33 -0800

Also I just got to the one where the police siren makes the sad trombone noise as it goes into the ditch and I cannot stop laughing. This has been a shitty day, it's nice to laugh.

By: quin

quin — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 17:41:32 -0800

Russia: where turn lanes are suggestions, lug nuts are optional, and Mad Max was a drivers ed video.

By: alms

alms — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 20:24:24 -0800

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the one at 1:18 where the car is nonchalantly driving down the road with the hose from a gas pump trailing off the side.

By: fantabulous timewaster

fantabulous timewaster — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:56:54 -0800

Pssh, alms, the fuel hose wasn't even on fire.

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 02:44:37 -0800

Russia: The libertarian paradise. You want wheels that stay on your car? We'll let the free market take care of that. Wheels come off cars and trucks a lot. -It almost happened to my parents twice just after going to one garage where (I think) the guy's 16-year-old kid was changing tires, and not torquing the nuts beyond finger-tight. -There's one stretch of I-95 in Maine where I have seen three vehicles with wheels off- go figure. -I've seen the aftermath of this with semi trucks on a few occasions- truck limping along with its blinkers on, missing one wheel. And that's not even thinking about trucks shredding tires, which happens a lot more.

By: Countess Elena

Countess Elena — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 09:19:02 -0800

This video and thread gave me my first eye-watering, pants-threatening fit of laughter since, you know, since yesterday. (Particularly the "350,000" thing.) For that, I can only thank you all. Driving in Russia, climbing tall abandoned structures without any safety gear in Russia . . . what would Youtube be without the contributions of the former USSR?

By: samsara

samsara — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:25:21 -0800

Obligatory Russian tunnel of crashes (circa 2006)

By: RobotHero

RobotHero — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:32:33 -0800

Watching people drive like completely insane idiots, from the point of view of their dashcam, which is designed to protect them but just shows how incredibly reckless and foolish they are, is a bit of a disconnect. Well, I was driving through the city at 80mph and all the lanes on the right were full, so I pulled into this other lane and for some reason there was oncoming traffic in it. So you can see, not my fault.

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 12:36:52 -0800

My dad kept going "Massachusetts Turnpike!" when he was watching this.

By: chronic sublime

chronic sublime — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:35:13 -0800

I think my favorite is the insolent squeal that the police siren makes after being hit at approx 8:30. Who am I kidding: I can't pick that over the irony of the Queen soundtrack.

By: goodsignal

goodsignal — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:12:15 -0800

Lighting strike at 4:16...what!!!?