nwfall:
Greetings!
Looks like you need an authoritative answer to your question. I’m from Russia so I’ll try to do it. (And I apologize for my English)
I live in Perm - one of the largest cities in Russia. There is an urgent need in a dash cam here because there are a lot of inadequate drivers on the road who ignore the traffic rules. Some of them just have bought the driving license and doesn’t know how to drive correctly, some of them not able to comply with the rules because of a sense of great superiority over the others.
It’s quite often to see a Land Cruiser passing on the red light or a BMW x5 crossing the double solid road markings or cutting you off. Almost nobody follows the speed limit. Car flow slowing down only under the sight of the road cameras speeding again just passing them. Do those drivers know the secret of immortality? Car crash statistics shows they dont.
In case of an accident with an expensive car by it’s drivers fault you could be sure that he knows the right people to make you the culprit.
Here’s an example from real life: My friend stood parked on the roadside. The car in front of him began to reverse. As a result, two large dents left on the hood. The guy said to the cops that this is my friend moved into him from behind while he stood still. The guy lied, despite the fact that his car was almost not damaged.
I’ve found a good article in english which also may answer your question. It truthfully discribes the road situation in more details.
Hope this reply will help since i’ve been writing it for a hour because of my bad English
If you have more questions I’ll try to answer.
You can see the Straight Dope in Russia? I was under the impression that it was blocked by the great some sort of post-Soviet firewall; regardless, I’m glad you’ve decided to join the finest Board on the planet Earth and maybe Mars (we’re trying to get Curiosity to join, but seems to ignore our appeals). Welcome aboard, nwfall .