For those of you that have driven a car in Russia, you might have noticed a dashboard camera in your car or in everybody else’s. Normally, in other countries, you might see these camera’s only in police cars. Not in Russia, many drivers have dashboard cams and you might be interested to learn some of the reasons why.

In 2009, then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, stated that Russian drivers were “undisciplined” and “criminally careless.” Russia commonly places in the top ten countries with the most auto-related fatalities each year averaging about 35,000 per year according to the Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program. Poor road conditions also contribute to this number. Don’t take his word for it, check it out for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa8axPvpgTM

Bribery of police officers and harassment by them also serve as reason to install a camera. Ironically, in 2009 a survey by the Bloomberg Global Road Safety Program found that 32 percent of Russians believe that the traffic police are the “most corrupt institution in the country.” By having a camera mounted in your vehicle, you may decrease the chance of being pulled over for a bogus reason and having to bribe the officer to let you go. Let’s face it, in most countries, the judge will likely side with the traffic police over the civilian should they take the matter to court.

If the corrupt traffic police don’t get you, the terrible drivers will and poor road conditions will. According to the World Health Organization, Russia averages 25.2 traffic deaths for every 100,000 people. In the U.S. there were 13.9 traffic fatalities for every 100,000, however, there are six times more cars on the roads. Add to this that so many Russians love to drink and drive, combine it with icy and badly maintained roads, and you can see the recipe for disaster in the making. These cameras will provide evidence to support your story should you find yourself in court. Dashboard cameras can also save you money on auto insurance – as well as removing the temptation by the insurance company to cheat you – which they’ve been known to do. Here are some more examples of what its like to drive in Russia – you’ll also learn some new Russian phrases:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guqwXnvUVVU

We can be thankful that so many Russians have video cameras mounted in their car because we were able to see the massive meteor flying over the city of Chelyabinsk a while ago. Should you be in an accident, it will likely be recorded by somebody. According to Aleksei Dozorov, a motorists’ rights activist in Russia, “You can get into your car without pants on, but never get into a car without a dash cam.” Consider yourself warned!!!!