One of the most frustrating things about Russia is its road system and the rules that "govern" it. There are legions of jokes about Russian roads ("There are two problems in Russia: roads and idiots," and, "You don't swear--start driving and the roads will teach you."), and those jokes are not undeserved: Russia's road system is woefully bad. It is way underdeveloped and very poorly maintained. Rough winters are bad for roads--any Clevelander is well acquainted with pothole season and its beloved successor orange-barrel season--but roads here in Vladimir can't even survive the summer. This year all the locals were impressed because the roads were actually being repaired in the summer (it was an election year), but that involved scraping off the top inch of deteriorated pavement and laying an inch of new asphalt on top of that broken-up base layer. They paved one of the biggest stretches during a heavy rainstorm--the USDOT would not approve. That new pavement is already falling apart.

The rules of the road add another layer of frustration. Russia uses the European signage and the European system of priority roads, which more or less makes sense when you get used to it. The problem is that the roads are inadequate for the traffic volume and that a lot of intersections are totally overburdened. Russia is a

country of strict rules, and so a lot of traffic-aiding policies that we have in US are illegal in Russia. For example, it is illegal to make a right on red, illegal to turn left on a green light if there is no specific left-turn signal (this prevents left turning in front of on-coming traffic, which is admittedly somewhat dangerous, but we Americans seem to do okay with it), and illegal to cross a double centerline (this means that you can't make left turns into driveways or minor streets--you have to continue on until you reach a special area where U-turns are permitted and double back). Break any of these regulations and you'll risk losing your license for at least six months.

Another really draconian traffic regulation is the policy that cars that have been involved in accidents must
remain exactly where they are until the accident investigation is complete, and this goes for both serious accidents and minor fender benders.And, given the overburdened roads and Russians' propensity to throw caution to the wind, accidents are extremely common. Theoretically, the fact that vehicles remain exactly where they were makes for a more fair and complete investigation. The problem is that these damaged vehicles block roads for hours while the traffic police take their sweet time to complete their accident reports. Other drivers are forced to squeeze around these wrecks, often causing

huge traffic jams and, sometimes, other accidents. In the US, the first priority is to get damaged vehicles off the road to ensure safety and smooth road operations--the investigation comes second. Here in Russia, if you move your car before the investigation is complete, it is the equivalent of leaving the scene of the accident. No concern is given for other drivers or their--and your--safety as their try to find a way past your car. The ultimate irony is that the road police are notorious for being crooked, and accident investigations are often a bidding war between the two drivers: Who can pay the bigger bribe and get off scot-free?