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This Is How Russian Drivers Deal with Cyclists That Don't Obey the Law

Cyclists have a tendency to skip on some aspects of the law more often that the rest of people they share the road with. I should know, I used to ride my bike to work every day for a few years straight.
Cyclist road rage in Russia 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Cyclist road rage in RussiaCyclist road rage in RussiaCyclist road rage in RussiaCyclist road rage in Russia
In all that time - and all the rest of it since my birth and the moment I'm writing this - I have never seen the Police ask any kind of questions of a cyclist. It's as if they are surrounded by an invisible shield that protects them from the long arm of the law, and if they do decide to stop at the red light or let pedestrians cross, it's out of the kindness of their hearts, and not because they have to.

But the thing is, just like there is the "Stop a Douchebag" movement that protects the rights of the pedestrians against drivers who forget what that curb is supposed to mean, you can sometimes come across a driver that likes to take things into his own hands and teach bikers proper road manners. And unlike the "Stop a Douchebag" guys, they don't carry any stickers around, so the methods are a lot more hands-on.

Just so we speak the same language, it has to be said from the start that bicycle riders are supposed to get off their vehicles when using a crosswalk. That's because crosswalks are for pedestrians, and the second somebody lifts their feet off the ground and puts them on the two pedals, they become part of a vehicle.

This rule is for the cyclists' own protection, and yet they seem to break it with every chance they have. Why? Well, because getting on and off the bike is tedious work and because they get away with it. Most of the times, at least.

Alright, so the dashcam car goes for a left turn and nearly runs over a cyclist that was crossing the road on his bike. They have a short exchange of words, but the pony-tail guy on the bike keeps going. Once he's a few meters on the sidewalk and thinks he's safe, he turns around and appears to give the driver the finger.

Even though he was initially entitled to be a little upset, his reaction to this is absolutely... Russian. The man forgets about having a small child in the car (he had forgotten about it earlier as well when he started swearing) and launches in a pursuit on the sidewalk. Don't forget this is Russia, the place where the footpath is just another lane for the "smarter" drivers.

He quickly catches up with the bike and wastes no time knocking the guy over. He gets out of the car, and this is when we notice he was in a right-hand drive car, which would explain why he saw the cyclists so late during the initial turn. Luckily, things don't escalate from there, but it's interesting to see how he nonchalantly drives away on the sidewalk, accelerating quite vigorously as the pedestrians scurry out of the way.

It is the classic case of the victim turning into the aggressor. The driver was actually in the right at first, but then managed to go full retard and do something that, in other countries, would probably count as attempted murder. With the evidence provided by the perpetrator himself.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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