Road Safety Russia

Safety Forecast campaign organizers provide drivers with top eight reasons for spring being more dangerous than winter. Refer to rsrussia.org page for further information on this initiated by the Russian Association of Motor Insurers and the General Department of Road Traffic Safety project, concerned with weather influence on road safety. 

        1) Spring goes hand in hand with Schumacher syndrome aggravation. We all know what it did to the legendary racer; we all are constantly reminded of what it does to the not-so-legendary drivers. Hold your horses and don’t be so fast to change your driving style from Careful Winter Driver to Reckless Summer Speedster.

        2) We are prone to falling sick in spring, as even young people experience blood pressure swings, sleepiness, fatigue and general weakness due to unsteady weather. You can only imagine the impact on the overall road safety when even every third driver on the road is feeling under the weather.

        3) Winter leaves the roads in a not-so-ideal condition - sometimes they require a little maintenance, more often we are talking about global repairs. Cracks, holes, and road under repair – those are the spring companions. No one stops you from filing and even winning a lawsuit (if you managed to acquire a written traffic police statement indicating who is responsible for unfilled holes and untended cracks), but do you really want to spend spring time in courts? It’s way easier to watch the road carefully.

        4) However, it can be challenging to watch the road in spring. Bright sunlight, decorated by spring slush brake lamps and automobile glass – poor visibility won’t let you to relax.

        5) Moreover, you won’t be able to relax because of motorcycle drivers, bikers and those who only drive a car in fine weather. All this complicates road traffic immensely, as during winter drivers get used to the lack of two-wheelers and lesser number of cars. Spring changes in traffic often result in road accidents.

        6) It’s nearly impossible to make a transition to summer tyres on time – sometimes you are early, sometimes you are late. Winter tyres lose their usefulness in above zero temperature and wear away almost completely after a prolonged use in dry weather. Nonetheless, it’s better to be a little late than way early on the matter.

        7) Spring urges drivers to shorten the distance between cars as they lose sight of why they need to maintain it. Consequences can be either dire or tragic.

        8) There are much more pedestrians and especially children on the streets. Same as drivers, they think that nothing bad can befall them in such nice weather. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly true.

Let us conclude: dear road users, stick to speed limits, be attentive on the road, don’t forget about pedestrians and two-wheelers. It will only do you good and bring positive spring emotions instead of road quarrels, stress and unnecessary confrontations.

Best of luck on the road!