From NPR: "Dashboard video cameras are common in Russia. In case you get bumped into, or bump someone else, insurance companies want to see what happened. A video record also reveals some astonishing--and sometimes frightening--driving behavior in the country."
I know a few people on this board use helmet cams, what about dashboard cams? Frankly, I also think a camera for pedestrians would be useful.
Wholly crap! That was fun to watch. Not sure if it is very cycle friendly over that way?
Dash cams aren't a bad idea. I wouldn't be surprised if cams are about everywhere in the next 5 years. It won't be big brother so much, just everyone has a cam on them.
Unfortunately it's pretty common. What makes it worse that you can "buy" driver license. And there is even syaing "(s0he bought a license but forget to buy how to drive". By some cultural differences there are much more female drivers with "bought licenses" then male drivers.
This is Moscow Lefortovo Tunnel:
I have a piece of duct tape plastered to my dashboard that holds up the GoPro for just that specific purpose. I just peel up the front of the tape, stick the camera to it, turn it on, and off I go, on the rare occasion I'm behind the wheel.
I'll try to get a pic in daylight sometime.
twiternederland has some fantastic other videos as well. I spent about a week in Moscow and the driving there was some of the most "creative" driving I've ever seen in my life.
Watched that video a few weeks ago and couldn't keep my eyes off of it.
It feels a bit like one of those arcade-style driving games.
@Pseudacris Russia's population is half of USA, number of cars probably 1/3 (or even 1/4) of those in USA. Number of people dying yearly is approximately the same. A lot of my acquaintances going from Moscow to regional cities do it at speed of 100 mph or higher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tce9OJOnj1o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cJrykyGBew
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%85+2012&oq=%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8+&gs_l=youtube.1.0.0l10.1124.5892.0.11530.16.11.4.1.1.0.587.1376.9j1j5-1.11.0...0.0...1ac.1.o717oZ9G9RM -- this is search in russian on you tube "car accidents"
Russian drivers might be crazier than US drivers but I certainly didn't see any "road behavior I've never imagined"... I think very similar crashes happen in the US on a regular basis.
Also, if more peds shot at cars that hit them that would probably improve things.
Whoa, Crazy!
@Salty -- like going 70-80 mph when there is snow and/or ice on the road? 
I have a friend living now in Pittsburgh who was going 60 on snow road and put his car on its roof in no time. He was able to put his car back on wheels with help of other drivers and to continue since it was pretty far away from home and around and temperature was about -15F. Now he is much safer driver.
2012 first snow in Russia -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V-ttAwT_dLI
