Drink-driving and speeding have made Moscow’s roads among Europe’s most dangerous, but now residents face a deadly new threat — armed drivers.
Three pedestrians became the latest victims when a motorist opened fire from his car after complaining that they were walking too slowly on a zebra crossing in the city centre.
Witnesses said that the driver shouted at the pedestrians to get off the road, then pulled out a pistol and shot them when they ignored him. Two were taken to hospital, one with chest wounds and another with injuries to his arm and leg. The driver of the Mitsubishi Galant sped away but police later arrested a 29-year-old Azerbaijani man in connection with the shooting. The incident is the second in two weeks in which people have been shot by motorists in the capital.
It has raised concern about the escalation of road rage in this congested city, where drivers must routinely endure two-hour traffic jams. Komsomolskaya Pravda, one of Russia’s most popular papers, commented: “Stupidly, disgustingly, a real war on the streets of Moscow is continuing.”
Russia’s highways are already dangerous, partly because many drivers can pay a bribe to acquire their licence instead of having to pass a test. Russia’s oil-fuelled economic boom is driving thousands more new cars on to streets that are already congested.
About 35,000 people are killed each year in road accidents, which has prompted President Putin to demand action to reduce the death toll.
He reduced the number of official cars permitted to have migalki — flashing blue lights — after they were blamed for several accidents. Other vehicles are obliged to make way for them and police officers are not allowed to stop them, regardless of how fast they are travelling.
Thousands of motorists staged a national protest in February last year in support of Oleg Shcherbinsky, a Siberian railway worker, who was jailed after his car was hit by a speeding Mercedes carrying the governor of the region of Altay to a party. It was travelling at more than 90mph when it clipped Mr Shcherbinsky’s Toyota and spun into a tree, killing the Governor. Mr Shcherbinsky was sentenced to four years in jail after a judge said that he should have pulled over when he saw the limousine’s migalki. His conviction was overturned.
Danger ahead
— A driver shot dead a road worker and wounded his colleague in Moscow after he accused them of causing damage to his car
— The Governor of Kostroma Oblast, Viktor Shershunov, and his driver died in a drink-related accident when their Mercedes was in collision with a Ford Focus travelling on the wrong side of the road outside Moscow
Topic: Motorist shoots ‘slow’ pedestrians (Read 1505 times)