Dronken achter het stuur......

In Rusland helaas een veel voorkomend verschijnsel, waarbij de politie niet of nauwelijks ingrijpt. Afgelopen week ontvingen we het bericht van onze vriend Nikolai uit Petersburg dat twee jonge kinderen van het kinderhuis in Nikolskoye, die wij supporten zijn aangereden. De chauffeur knalde daarna met zijn dronken kop tegen een boom. Wat de gevolgen van dit ongeluk zijn kun je lezen op onze blogspot van het kinderhuis.
Er is volgens Nikolai al enige jaren iets gaande in dit land. Ik laat hem even aan het woord:

"The thing that really bothers me is the cases when people get run over by drunken or just careless drivers. There is something going on in the society. I am not an expert but there is something definitely wrong with how people behave in the street and on the road. With all traditional Russian rudeness inflicted by the years of fighting for a piece of sausage, there is something else. People more and more often show lack of coordination in physical movements, demonstrate unbelievable obstinacy in doing the wrong things like driving on the red light,show outbursts of wild temper in completely inoffensive situations.. Can you imagine that in St. Petersburg there were 4000 road accidents last year and 5600 in the first 5 months of this year already. People just do not obey the rules. The guy who rear-ended us was travelling at over 100 kms an hour speed while the speed limit in the city is 60 kms an hour. There is something wrong with the poor Russian brains. I would call it a suicidal streak and something should be done about it. Yesterday I tried to call several traffic police departments on account of young motorcyclists who demonstrate stunts right on the Nevsky prospekt. Driving on one wheel at a speed over 100 kms or overspeeding up to 150 kms. And all this in the rush hour practically every day. I have been told that nothing can be done because according to the law only small fine of 100 rubles may given to them. So the police does not interfere. You would have an impression that the police are just asleep. So when Valya and I sit in the car we first pray before we drive".

Niet alleen in Pieter, maar zeker ook in Moskou waar sommigen net zo idioot rijden.