Russians at the steering wheel

[MrSlacker]

Is it just me, or does everyone appear to be jumping the lights?

In Russia and most ex-USSR countries, they have YELLOW before GREEN so people can prepare to take off since 98% drive manual cars. Their lights are like this

Yellow = get ready to go
Green = GO
Yellow = get ready to stop
Red = STOP
Yellow = get ready to go
etc etc etc

Because of this, many people with automatics start going on yellow without waiting for the green.

[Conki]

In Russia and most ex-USSR countries, they have YELLOW before GREEN so people can prepare to take off since 98% drive manual cars. Their lights are like this

Yellow = get ready to go
Green = GO
Yellow = get ready to stop
Red = STOP
Yellow = get ready to go
etc etc etc

Because of this, many people with automatics start going on yellow without waiting for the green.

It's actually Red+Yellow before it turns green so people can distinguish between yellows. And yellow light is fair game, the time it takes for your light to turn yellow together with red is longer than how long it takes for US lights to turn green after the cross traffic's light turned red. But people know this, that's why many run the red lights 1-2 seconds after they turned red.

[Conki]

my sister is a pretty horrible driver. really lacks depth perception. for years (until we yelled at her enough, and she still does it) she would ride the bumpers of other cars at about 10 feet. regardless of speed.

That's probably the first thing I noticed when I started driving here.
In the city people leave 5-6 yard distances between each other, it still frustrates me! At the light it's not like "car-car-car-car" as it should be, it's "car-no car-car-no car-car-freggin huge space-car".

And then on the highway at 80 mph most people keep that 5-6 yard distance! I'm terrified driving on the highway, no wonder why there are so many mass accidents here. If one person makes a mistake, there are at least 10 other cars that can't stop in time.

Keep your distances on the highway, people!

And in the city use your gas and brake pedals, that's what they are there for! Gosh...

[MrSlacker]

It's actually Red+Yellow before it turns green so people can distinguish between yellows. And yellow light is fair game, the time it takes for your light to turn yellow before it turns green is longer than how long it takes for US lights to turn green after the cross traffic's light turned red. But people know this, that's why many run the red lights 1-2 seconds after they turned red.

You are absolutely right. I forgot that its Yellow + Red. All of my experience on Russian roads are from passenger seat.

[Atreus]

thats what she said!

haha.