The inevitable happened this morning.

[Blues Fairy]

3.29, 3.30, 3.32 and 3.33 are fairly obscure to me, though.

3.29  No parking on odd days
3.30  No parking on even days
3.32  Passing of vehicles with dangerous cargo is forbidden
3.33  Passing of vehicles with easily flammable cargo is forbidden

[Gator]

OlgaH,

I recall that a "stop" sign did not read STOP as in your signs. 

Instead it was стоп,  which when spoken sounds like the English word "stop."

[OlgaH]

OlgaH,
I recall that a "stop" sign did not read STOP as in your signs.  
Instead it was стоп,  which when spoken sounds like the English word "stop."

 

1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_European_traffic_signs

In Russia you can see signs "stop" written in Cyrillic and Roman

One of the relatively new signs (since 2006) is sign STOP - контроль (control or check) near militia posts, entries to boundary and closed territories and toll highways.

[SANDRO43]

3.29  No parking on odd days
3.30  No parking on even days

Thanks BF, we used to have something similar MANY years ago, almost a puzzle :

No parking on left side of street on odd days, on right side on even days.

Olga, your topmost стоп legend would be contradictory in the West under a give-way sign: a STOP requires the driver to halt regardless of any incoming traffic, give-way doesn't.

[Vaughn]

HiTech, I'm glad your wife is OK, and yes, it's a valuable lesson learned with minimal damage
and no physical injury.

Just yesterday, I pulled into our driveway and before entering the house, up pulls my wife, Elvira.
I walked to her car as the door opened and out plopped her loose high heels. She was wearing a
pair of flat shoes - and began to remove them and get back into the heels...  I never realized she
had long ago developed this habit of driving in flats. Usually when we're in the car together, she asks
me to take the wheel. It's really something for Alyona to consider - keeping an extra set of shoes inside
the vehicle that'll afford her more control and feel for the pedals.

To those whose ladies are still in learning mode, I'd like to offer a statement made by my wife that
seemed to be the major turning point for the better: "I'm beginning to feel like I am in control of the car."
Prior to that, it was excessively slow and deliberate maneuvers, unreasonably slow speeds and a marked fear
of hitting stationary objects. It took patience and much time, a lot of practice whenever we were able. She's
reached a point now where she criticizes the stupidity of careless and risk-taking drivers.

Best wishes to you and Alyona. Yeah, she'll laugh about the incident in due time...

Vaughn

[Gator]

Blues Fairy, I guess we are the only two Russian Women in the world who can pass the driving test without the close supervision of our husbands.    And are able to drive without crushing cars to the total all the times.   And being able to park without whiping out the side mirrors...  And ...   Help me here, please!    

Now don't jump to conclusions or Aramis will call you out.

The first time I ever insulted my future wife was walking in Moscow saying that she could get her driver's license on my son's old SUV. She rightfully inferred that I did not think she could drive.  Her reaction set me back. 

Over the 6 years of dating we did take many interesting trips together, sometimes renting a car and just taking off.  In the Costa Rica mountains she complained how unsafe I was driving (there are some steep dropoffs with no guard rail).  So I let her get behind the wheel.  On every trip after that, I navigated and she drove.

[Gator]

Having just bragged about my wife's driving, let me disclose that she also joined the ranks of RW who have been in an accident.  A picture is worth a 1000 words.

Clearly it is not her fault, and she was very upset.  You notice that the truck driver is staying in the cab where he retreated upon receiving her wrath.  It was her precious Lexus.

[OlgaH]

Gator,

Your wife is lucky. Robert and I have been working on several cases and documentaries about car crashes  through truck drivers fault. I met all that people. Some of them are became our friends. One woman died after month being in coma, her husband is such a wonderful person. Till her death he stayed with her in a hospital. Looking through their family photo albums and cards, talking to him I can see how much they loved each other and I can feel his pain of loss...  I'm afraid of trucks.

[Ooooops]

Now don't jump to conclusions or Aramis will call you out.

Nah, I alredy put him on Ignore List, so he can call till he's blue in the face, I won't hear.    :evil:

PS.   I'm sure that Dumas is twitching in his grave - Aramis was such a noble character and this reincarnation is far from it... 

[OlgaH]

PS.   I'm sure that Dumas is twitching in his grave - Aramis was such a noble character and this reincarnation is far from it...  

You call it a reincarnation? I would not call it even a poor excuse for parody... But he is not a first and most likely will not be last... unfortunately.

Oh, about Aramis(es) in cinematography I think our Igor Starygin is incomparable    

[Ooooops]

Oh, about Aramis(es) in cinematography I think our Igor Starygin is incomparable     

Starygin?   Don't remember him...   But I remember young Boyarski with bushy mustache playing D'Artanyan   

[Ooooops]

A picture is worth a 1000 words.

Dam*!    I'm glad that you wife is OK though!

[OlgaH]

Starygin?   Don't remember him...   But I remember young Boyarski with bushy mustache playing D'Artanyan    

Boyarski got the feel of his role for whole his life. Such a Gascon in his hat and with his guitar.  

"Господь, ты видишь это тело...  его Ты создал неумело... Но дал мне шанс исправить дело..."     Such a wonderful music movie. I guess you recognize Starygin. Valentin Smirnitsky (Porthos) is a душка    

[youtube=425,350]_spwffwZWi8 [/youtube]

[Maxx2]

I'll just say it. Men are generally better drivers than women. Women have a poor sense of direction. Get lost easier and give lousy directions. This comes as a result of their not being the hunters eons back.  Also men know mechanics like our distant ancestors knew bows and arrows.  The women just said to their mates "I need a stone scraper (or whatever)" and the men made it for them *. Now they ask for cars and the men snap to and get them. Men merge with their cars. Many times become "gearheads". The car becomes and extension of themselves. Women with cars is generally something that is alien to them. They are poor at maintenance and fail to keep proper air pressure in their tires and so on. There are exceptions of course.   

Random Quote
* catzenmouse- 20 Feb 2007
Women's sexual powers are enormous. All cultures have seen it. Men know it. Women know it. The only people who don't know it are feminists. Desensualized, desexualized, neurotic women.
(Camille Paglia)

We live in a matriarchal/feminist/PC society so what I just said won't go over too well. Like my dad used to say, "Women drivers!" 


Maxx

[MatryoshkaMan]

I always begged, pleaded and cajoled my ex to not drive in high-heels, especially just after I bought her a new car in 2004. So far so good, she has been driving around Vancouver for 6 years with no accidents and she ALWAYS wear heels. Oh RW and their heels, like white on rice, they are just inseperable...Now she has had a few troubles due to her lack of care and attention to the small but important details in life. Like loosing her Canadian passport, reporting it lost, getting a new one, only to discover it months later inside her bathroom cabinet mixed in with some make-up! That was a "didn't I tell you to keep your passport in a safe place teaching opportunity" that I just couldn't pass up. Oh and a few days ago she lost her car keys out of her jacket. No biggie but $400 later she is back to square one. Expensive lesson I would say.

[Ade]

I'll just say it. Men are generally better drivers than women. Women have a poor sense of direction. Get lost easier and give lousy directions. This comes as a result of their not being the hunters eons back.  Also men know mechanics like our distant ancestors knew bows and arrows.  The women just said to their mates "I need a stone scraper (or whatever)" and the men made it for them *. Now they ask for cars and the men snap to and get them. Men merge with their cars. Many times become "gearheads". The car becomes and extension of themselves. Women with cars is generally something that is alien to them. They are poor at maintenance and fail to keep proper air pressure in their tires and so on. There are exceptions of course.  

Max, it's a known fact that the average woman's spatial sense and physical coordination is less well developed than the average man's although there are exceptions - one of the best drivers I know is a woman and of course there are those lady fighter pilots.

However, as far as I know, when it comes to car accidents men tend to have much larger and more catastrophic ones than women. Women will have a ding and the man will have a t-bone and be laid up in hospital for a couple of weeks because he was driving too aggressively. In fact, of all the major accidents  I've seen or known of first hand, and there have been several over the years, I think all the drivers were men except one. So I guess "better driver" is a matter of perspective.

And Max, a lot of female ignorance and lack of interest when it comes to technical things is imposed from a very early age by society and cultural norms. 

[SANDRO43]

I'll just say it. Men are generally better drivers than women. Women have a poor sense of direction. Get lost easier and give lousy directions.

Yes, I had wondered about this peculiar trait some time ago (http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=3012.msg56127#msg56127).

This comes as a result of their not being the hunters eons back.

And Gator provided the same insightful theory to explain it (http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=3012.msg56133#msg56133).

Like my dad used to say, "Women drivers!" 

Old Italian proverb:

Donne al volante,
pericolo ambulante!

Women at the wheel, a wandering menace .

[HiTech]

Rain and and more rain comes to mind, today a small rear ending of another car, she thought it was starting to go, she started, looked down at cell phone, other car stopped.

Now 1 damaged rent a car that she was using as her car was being repaired.


HiTech

[SANDRO43]

Rain and and more rain comes to mind

...and another Italian expression :

Piove sul bagnato

It rains on where it's wet already. Maybe a Sculptorean fire-twirling dance might dispel the goblins .

[GQBlues]

...and another Italian expression :

Piove sul bagnato

It rains on where it's wet already. Maybe a Sculptorean fire-twirling dance might dispel the goblins .

Or the American version of the expression: When it rains, it pours!"

[GoodOlBoy]

Rain and and more rain comes to mind, today a small rear ending of another car, she thought it was starting to go, she started, looked down at cell phone, other car stopped.
Now 1 damaged rent a car that she was using as her car was being repaired. HiTech 

Brace yourself HiTech.

Where GoodOlBoy was raised we have a saying: "Trouble comes in three's".


GOB

[Faux Pas]

Brace yourself HiTech.

Where GoodOlBoy was raised we have a saying: "Trouble comes in three's".


GOB

Or the American version of the expression: When it rains, it pours!"

My thoughts EXACTLY. Hopefully you'll be spared the third 

[Misha]

she started, looked down at cell phone, other car stopped

Perhaps a good example of why cell phones and driving don't mix. I imagine that you are going to be taking a pretty big hit on your insurance 

[KenC]

HiTech.
And so it continues...........  I can only tell you that they DO eventually learn to drive safely.  I just hope you signed up for the additional insurance through the rental company.  Good luck in the future.
KenC

[2tallbill]

4. The level of general stress a new immigrant experiences in her first year here, coincidentally learning to drive. Stress makes you distracted and oblivious of the road signs.  All the occasions when I, an experienced driver, almost ran through a red light here were connected with some major mental preoccupation I was going through at the moment.  

expanding on what KenC and BF pointed out
5. Learning how to find your way around (being a navigator) simultaneously
while learning to drive.

It is difficult to drive even for an experienced driver in a strange city when you don't
really know your way around. You have to search for signs so you don't miss your
turn, or when you do miss your turn you have to pull a U turn sometimes having to drive quite a way before you can legally and or safely do so.

6. If you want to move the stress up another notch imagine that your RW was
 running late to work (can anyone imagine a RW being late for something?)

7. If you compound all these things together plus constantly thinking in a foreign
language and if you throw another curve ball in there like slick roads, poor visibility, mechanical problems, road construction, detours, tailgaters, other crazy drivers etc driving can be very very difficult.

I admit it's not brain surgery but if it were so ridiculously safe and easy why are
there over 40,000 traffic deaths per year in the US?

Just my two kopecks,

Bill