Driving in Ukraine

Well it's about time I wrote something about driving in Ukraine.  The first thing that comes to mind is a question I was once asked in Canada.   On which side of the road do Ukrainians drive?   My reply was and still is "On the side where there are fewer potholes".   Most Ukrainian roads were built during Soviet times and thus were made for fewer vehicles and definately not for the large transports that frequent every road in Ukraine these days.  Then, they was little concern for a proper base or quality asphalt as it was not needed and this philosophy still holds for much of the construction and repairs today, resulting in the potholes.   In our region we saw an great improvement in the quality of road repairs in 2010,  however most people attribute this to the elections that were held in Oct. 2010.  I have to say that except for the occasional grader, the road that we drive on to get home saw construction last year for the first time in the seven years that we have lived here.  It's still not paved but driving on the road almost feels like something out of the 20th century.

The Yanukovich government has promised that for the European Football (soccer, to most N. Americans) championships to be held in 2012, many roads will be brought up to European standards. We can only hope that where there is a will there is a way, but, if last years improvements are an indication than we should soon be driving on the roads without having to spend too much time watching out for potholes. 

The traffic laws in Ukraine are generally the same as in the rest of the world.  There are some differences in the signs but these are mostly of a minor difference and most people will not be too confused. The one big difference is the lack of proper directing signs.  Again, because much of Ukraine's infrastructure is a holdover of the Soviet period there is a lack of proper sign giving directions as to which lane one must drive, names of roads or directions to highways etc.   (I believe that during the Soviet period this was done intentionally to confuse any invader) The maps during this time were also deliberately made confusing to keep foreigners off the roads.  There is another theory, that the signs are deliberately made confusing to give the police an opportunity to fine the drivers and/or...

Another difference are the traffic lights.  Here they change from green to amber to red as in Canada but they then change to amber again before the green comes on.  I am only guessing but it appears that the drivers are given an opportunity to turn across traffic between the red and green but this is only a guess.

This leaves the drivers.  A large percent of drivers in Ukraine are driving without attending a driver training class or in some cases without even taking a test.   There is a great problem with some drivers having little regard for the law or even the lives of others, possibly because they never knew the laws.  The most noticable reckless act is that many drivers will pass slower traffic on blind curves or while driving through a village or in a residential area without regard for the pedestrians or livestock along the side of the road.  They seem to wait until a curve is visible and than try to pass.  The speed limit in a residential area is 60kph but there is an understanding or belief that the police will allow an additional 10-20 kph over and a lot of drivers will push that limit.  We see almost every day on the news, where some driver of an SUV or some other vehicle well stocked with protective cushions, has crashed into an intersection seriously injuring others while he walks away without a scratch.
The government has once again promised to crack down on drunk drivers but I guess we can only wait and see.  I don't think that there is as great a problem with drinking and driving as in some other countries, but due to the lack of driving skills, any amount of alcohol seems to be too much. The law is very clear that so much as the smell of alcohol on a drivers breath can result in a hefty fine, however the reality is that there is a way to get out of almost any predicament.  A recent proposal to change the law to include that the first infraction  results in a suspension of a driving permit can only improve the situation.  The number of serious accidents involving buses seems to be much higher in Ukraine that almost anywhere in the world. Recently    there was an inspection of bus drivers in Kyiv where many of them were found to be driving under the influence.  One can only hope that these inspections and other similar checks will serve to improve the situation and make driving safer.
I don't want to sound pessamistic or to give the impression that it is difficult to drive in Ukraine because if one is careful, driving here isn't much worse that anywhere else and with the proposed improvements we can expect that things will soon be much improved.