Russian ambulance taxis are luxury vehicles that are designed to look like ambulances in order to speed through traffic with their sirens and flashing lights. The practice is illegal, and Russian police perform random checks on suspicious ambulances to get them off the roads. Russia's traffic is known as some of the worst in the world, which is thought to be caused by a lack of maintenance or signs and little to no enforced road and parking restrictions. In Moscow, the wealthy have been known to hire Russian ambulance taxis for prices equal to about $200 US Dollars an hour. The interiors of these vehicles typically are outfitted like limousines, with flat screen televisions, leather couches and even champagne and caviar.
More about traffic in Russia:
- Dashboard cameras are common in civilian vehicles in Russia in order to have video evidence to prevent insurance scams or police corruption. About one-third of Russians surveyed said they believe that traffic police are the most corrupt institution in Russia.
- A 2012 traffic jam in Russia left an estimated 10,000 vehicles stranded on a highway for three days.
- Russia has the most traffic accident fatalities in Europe, with about 28,000 deaths in 2012.