I read something about that yesterday too. But some guys on Reddit who live in Russia said that the main reason people have the dashboard cams is that they get a discount on their insurance if they have one. Everything else is a bonus.
Being that it is my profession, I am in shock and awe that in Russia (1) insurance is available (2) that it might even be within reach of the average person to pay and (3) that it pays anything worthwhile at all.
A Finnish friend said that he had to drive into Russia along cross-country highways the other day. He has been before so he was not at all surprised to see at least one wrecked vehicle by the side of the road every 5 miles. My son drove from Finland round to Poland - He said that he would never drive at night and always keep 50 yards minimum behind anything other vehicle - but, even that isn't going to save you.
If drivers in Russia get any training at all, it's from the Easy and Care-Free Academy of Driving. They seem to put little thought or care into the design and maintenance of their vehicles, as well. Only one of the videos I have seen so far includes an air bag. Nobody wears seat belts, preferring to become projectiles that are ejected from their vehicles at any moment.
But, the most notable thing, the one that cannot be easily undone with laws and regulations (assuming those would work anyway) is the obvious and unnatural tendency of Russian drivers to just veer into oncoming traffic in reaction to what is happening in front of them. How many times do you see a near rear-end accident turn instead into a head-on collision (offset or otherwise)? There is often clear space to the right where a vehicle could go, and on a few occasions they do, but in many other situations the drivers appear to think "Fuck it! I'm gonna have a head-on collision instead. I wanna see the look of fear in the face of the driver I am about to cream!" It's bizarre.
