Opinions

Natalia Agre

President of the NGO “Road Safety Russia”

Circumventing the law could cost a child's life

It has been just over two weeks since changes to the law introduced a higher fine for failing to use a child restraint when transporting a child in a vehicle. While it is of course too early to draw conclusions, there are clearly some grounds for alarm.  

The fine has been increased substantially, and many parents have finally started to think seriously about buying a child restraint. However, good quality, certified and fully tested car seats are expensive. Incomparable...

Road Safety Russia

Penalties for traffic offences in Russia – high or low?

The amendments relating to traffic offences which have been introduced to the Russian Code of Administrative Offences and came into force on1 September 2013 are currently being hotly debated in the media and the public at large. Opinions on the matter are divided. Some people see it as a way to compel drivers to comply with traffic regulations, while others say that it will serve to exacerbate the corruption which already exists on the roads. Then there are those who say it is the only...

The Washington Post

A map of the countries with the most dangerous roads (by Max Fisher)

Click to enlarge. Data source: World Health Organization

Lots of people think that their home town has the worst traffic, the most aggressive drivers, the craziest cabbies. Sometimes they have strong anecdotal evidence. Russian drivers often employ dashboard cameras to record seemingly inevitable collisions with reckless motorists. In the United Arab Emirates city of Abu Dhabi, a three-day Blackberry phone outage coincided with a 40 percent drop in traffic...