Are Ukrainian Roads Dangerous?

Posted by Amanda Kendle Oct 24, 2006

Last month we reported the results of a survey suggesting that Russian drivers were the worst in Europe. This month, the Ukraine Observer (one of the many English language newspapers we keep track of in the region) published its tongue-in-cheek Pub Poll on the same topic.

Although the results generally suggested that ex-pats and travelers in Ukraine believe driving in cities like Kyiv is haphazard at best, they also point to some reasoning that applies in many Eastern European cities. During socialist times, the number of cars were limited, and they were nearly always low-powered cars – in Ukraine (and Russia), cars like Volgas and Zhigulis were all you could get. Since 1990 there have been huge changes, and very quickly: more and more people have cars, and they are more often much higher-powered cars. Subsequent crowding and higher speeds have contributed to making the Ukrainian streets (and others in Eastern Europe) a lot less safer. It might take a few more years before driver education catches up with the new situation.