"Welcome to Russia--Please watch your step!" Maybe that should be posted in Russia's airports to warn unsuspecting foreigners that they're entering a dangerous country for walking. One of the first things my family noticed about Russia was that you really have to be careful walking here. There are uneven steps, protruding unidentified metal things in the sidewalk, giant holes, unmarked construction zones, low-hanging wires, high curbs, tall flanges in the bottom of doorways, and broken glass everywhere. For the average American used to walking on nicely maintained sidewalks in a country with effective building regulations, it's downright dangerous to even go outside in Russia.
My dad joked that every time he took his attention off his feet to look at some impressive, historic building, he would trip, and it pretty much worked out that way. Living in Russia is a bit like riding the subway: At first you fall and trip a lot, but your legs adjust and get your balance after a little while. I know to watch my step, but even after a year, I still sometimes trip on exposed rebar or buckled pavement or uneven manhole covers.
Being in a country that pays such little attention to the basics of civic infrastructure and provides so little for its citizens really makes me appreciate the role that those "frivolous lawsuits" play in the American system. If someone tripped and fell into an unguarded open pit in the sidewalk, the city (or whoever was supposed to manage that chunk of sidewalk) would be hauled into court so fast it would make that Sapsan bullet train look like a horse and buggy. And this isn't an academic question: Several people have told me never to step on manhole covers in Russia because they occasionally collapse, giving the unfortunate pedestrian a broken leg or worse. Trip-and-fall lawsuits are a huge source of income for lawyers in the US, and the effect is obvious: Anyone (or any city) who cares about his liability won't open himself up to a huge lawsuit by allowing unsafe conditions to exist. Russia doesn't have that system (or at least not a well-functioning version of that system), and people can only wait for the government to fix sidewalks and roads and for the government to enact regulations against unsafe practices while dodging potholes and taking painkillers after the inevitable trips and falls. So, watch you step!
My dad joked that every time he took his attention off his feet to look at some impressive, historic building, he would trip, and it pretty much worked out that way. Living in Russia is a bit like riding the subway: At first you fall and trip a lot, but your legs adjust and get your balance after a little while. I know to watch my step, but even after a year, I still sometimes trip on exposed rebar or buckled pavement or uneven manhole covers.
Being in a country that pays such little attention to the basics of civic infrastructure and provides so little for its citizens really makes me appreciate the role that those "frivolous lawsuits" play in the American system. If someone tripped and fell into an unguarded open pit in the sidewalk, the city (or whoever was supposed to manage that chunk of sidewalk) would be hauled into court so fast it would make that Sapsan bullet train look like a horse and buggy. And this isn't an academic question: Several people have told me never to step on manhole covers in Russia because they occasionally collapse, giving the unfortunate pedestrian a broken leg or worse. Trip-and-fall lawsuits are a huge source of income for lawyers in the US, and the effect is obvious: Anyone (or any city) who cares about his liability won't open himself up to a huge lawsuit by allowing unsafe conditions to exist. Russia doesn't have that system (or at least not a well-functioning version of that system), and people can only wait for the government to fix sidewalks and roads and for the government to enact regulations against unsafe practices while dodging potholes and taking painkillers after the inevitable trips and falls. So, watch you step!
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