Dashcam videos and crazy capers have become one of the modern-day stereotypes of Russia. Thanks to social media and YouTube, Russian dashcam videos have exploded in popularity over the last few years, earning themselves some quite well-deserved internet fame.
Driving in Russia has always been wild – the only thing that the dashcam phenomenon has changed is that now we can all see just how crazy it can get on Russian roads. Road conditions can be bad, there’s a tonne of traffic, and drivers can succumb to road rage like the rest of us… oh and maybe a meteorite will fall to the ground – at least it’s all caught on the dashcam!
It’s only become mandatory to have liability insurance in the last few years in Russia, and full insurance (covering both parties) is expensive so it’s not used very commonly. Hit and runs happen regularly, and if you are not liable in the accident, you can prove that there was no accident staging, as dashcam videos are accepted in the Russian court system as evidence.
Dashcams also came about as a way to deal with the Russian police. The way the police behave is slowly changing, of course, but there is still a lot of antipathy for the police force. Previously, if you were pulled over by a policeman, most people believed that the conversation would most likely be a barter for the sum you would need to pay to drive away safely. Dashcams became a means of legitimising the relationship between drivers and the police.
After many hours of research of the best content that Russian YouTube has to offer, I can safely say that Russian dashcams really have caught the craziest things on tape. So, specially compiled for you, is a list of the top three craziest….
I’m not kidding – someone manged to literally catch a falling meteorite on tape. I KNOW. This happened in Chelyabinsk in February 2013, and was caught on dashcam. You can guess how crazy this must have been!
Crazy weather calls for even crazier dashcam vids! This Russian guy decided that it seemed like a nice day for a trip, but pulls out of his garage to find himself slap bang in the middle of a tornado…oops! He tries to turn back into the garage but -too late!- it’s been blown away.
We’ve all done silly things under the influence… but have you ever managed to career across a motorway on a shopping trolley? This guy has managed to do it. Thankfully it looks like he managed to roll away unharmed, and thankfully its comedic value was caught by one car’s dashcam!
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We hope you enjoyed these crazy dashcam adventures. Though one small word of warning to fellow partiers: if you see a shopping trolley on a night out – DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME! Keep safe on the busy russian roads! And if you want to read more About Mother Russia’s craziness, have a look at our intern Thomas’ article here.
Do you know a Russian dashcam video we should know about? Let us know in the comment section below!
Posted by Alana Hopkins
I'm Alana, an intern at Liden & Denz St Petersburg, spending the summer in Russia's fantastic northern capital. Follow me on my adventures around the city!
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