It is no secret that the driving culture in Kyiv, perhaps in all of Ukraine, is abominable and getting worse by the day. Here we have what many claim to be the worst drivers in the world; not only bad drivers, but drivers committed to perfecting the art of bad driving to the point where they have already, or soon will, become a danger to the entire population.
This can be blamed on various causes, such as the driving schools, corrupt license examiners, and uncontrolled traffic congestion that lead drivers to engage in irrational driving behaviors, etc., etc. The excuses go on and on.
However, the worst of the worst are the marshrutkas. For our foreign readers who may not be familiar with this particular form of transportation, over the last several years many of the large city operated buses, trolleys and trams have been replaced by relatively small to medium-sized buses, legally carrying from 12 to 50 passengers depending on their size.
Of course, one of the most basic questions is how many passengers might be considered normal by the bus manufacturer, and how many might be crammed into one, particularly during Kyiv's chaotic rush hours. It is not uncommon to see marshrutkas with as many or more people standing as there are seated.
In addition to crowding, there is the obviously important question of the nameless and unidentifiable drivers and operators who propel these often overloaded buses through traffic.
Many have already reached the high point of their careers and have honed their bad driving skills to the point where they are now very accomplished at inflicting unavoidable pain and risk of serious injury on their passengers. It is doubtful that the authorities are even aware of the injuries being inflicted on defenseless passengers due to the anonymity of both drivers and operators, which make it difficult, if not impossible, for victims to report such incidents.
Nevertheless, the problems include such things as:
Configuring the marshrutka vehicles themselves in a very dangerous manner. This includes: seats which are not attached to the floor; hand bars that are positioned so low that shorter passengers cannot avoid hitting their heads continuously due to bad driving which accompanies this bad equipment; steps which are too high to allow reasonable egress from the vehicle - especially when the driver insists on driving away while the hapless passenger is still trying to find the ground with their feet. Of course this latter problem might be minimized if the drivers were required to stop at the curb rather than in the middle of the road, as so many of them do.
Some operators are notorious for cramming so many seats into their vehicles that one cannot sit in the seats properly because there is no room for a passenger's knees; thus exposing them to even higher risk of injury and pain.
As recently as three years ago, only one such operator might have been classified as having the worst drivers, but now, I am afraid, it appears that all operators fit the description. The only bright spot is that there are still a few who are good, safe and responsible drivers. They are, however, few and far between.
The most obvious symptom of the generally bad driving practices among the marshrutkas is excessive speed. Of course, this description is applicable to a very large percentage of Kyiv drivers of all types, but what distinguishes the marshrutkas from the other speed demons that proliferate on the streets of the capitol is that marshrutkas carry passengers; the drivers not only expose themselves to injury but also expose captive passengers unwittingly to the risk of being injured or maimed.
What makes the marshrutka driver even more dangerous than normal is the fact that they can only drive fast for relatively short distances. They are required to stop frequently for traffic lights and for passengers. Oddly enough, although supposedly motivated by profit, many of these drivers drive so fast and so recklessly that they are unable to stop for passengers flagging them lest, in trying to stop, they may well lose control of the vehicle. When they do decide to stop, listen carefully for the sound of screeching brakes, and the moans of passengers being thrown about inside the vehicle itself.
However, speed may only be a symptom rather than a single cause for concern. These drivers pursue very erratic courses through the streets, constantly and without warning changing lanes back and forth - for what purpose no one knows. It seems at times that they change lanes simply because it is possible to do so.
So what? Well, for example, passengers in a marshrutka are exposed to the serious risk of whiplash injury, not only to the neck but also to every nerve in their bodies. One elderly gentleman recently had to undergo three weeks of medical treatment to relieve symptoms of radiculite, a whiplash-like injury to the nerves. The pain from this particular injury is excruciating, the treatment is not pleasant and it is never 100 percent eliminated. All this happened because of the constant whiplash a passenger's body is subjected to while sitting or standing in the marshrutka, driven by an erratic, speed-obsessed driver.
Let me say at this point that statistics about such injuries and their source is simply not available; whether it is not maintained or closed to the public one is not sure, but careful observation reveals that the situation is serous enough to call for some action.
Ukrainian lawyers claim that laws already in existence provide victims of this "marshrutka syndrome" with adequate remedies. The practical problem, however, seems to be identification. Which marshrutka caused the injury and which driver was driving? These are relatively simple problems to solve if the authorities realize that the problem exists. It would be helpful to victims if each bus bore an identification number, on the outside of the bus, in very few, but very large digits, positioned so that the victim could see the number from any position, even while lying on the road surface after having been ejected while trying to leave the vehicle. Likewise, the name and telephone number of the operator should be prominently displayed both inside and on the outside of the vehicle.
As for identifying the driver, each line operator should be required to maintain an accurate daily log of each vehicle with its driver indicated along with the times of day the driver was working. If the log is not kept, or if it proves to be inaccurate, the line operator should be held strictly liable.
It is also strongly suggested that the configuration of the vehicles should be regulated so that each passenger who sits actually has a seat in which to sit like a normal human being, knees and all! The size of vehicles that may be devoted to the carriage of passengers should be regulated and vehicles too small to be safe should be prohibited.
There is one particular vehicle that seems to be favored by some operators, which have been fitted with more seats than the manufacturer ever envisioned. Research reveals that owners of the same vehicle in other countries do not fit them with more than 9 seats, whereas here in Kyiv they are fitted with as many as 12 and even 15 seats.
Additionally, realizing that neither driver nor operator can really be relied upon to do what is right and reasonable, it might be suggested that each marshrutka be equipped with a tamper-proof speed governor, set not to the speed limits presently prescribed by law, but rather to a speed limit dictated by good judgment and safety.
All of this should be backed up with frequent safety inspections and strict enforcement of a good driving regime against the drivers.
Of course, once the marshrutka driver is brought under control, the authorities must face the incontrovertible fact that the remaining drivers must also be brought under control. They too are becoming increasingly dangerous and evince an arrogance that gives them effective control of sidewalks, streets and tropinki (small paths in the forest). They are able to effectively ignore traffic signals because the rules are too flexible and the existing traffic signals are wholly inadequate to do the job; in fact many traffic lights spend more time waiting for a repair crew than they do directing the flow of traffic.
Of course, all of this could be remedied and it is doubtful that the expense would be too great to bear. There are a wide variety of remedies available that they can and should be studied carefully.
It would be interesting to learn just how much the medical system in the city must spend each year to care for the victims of this "marshrutka syndrome." How much of this expense is reflected in the tax rate that we all pay, and how much detracts from the proper level of care to which all are entitled?
Of particular interest to potential investors in the city, and to the city's governors, is the question of how this erratic and dangerous driving culture affects productivity, and consequently taxes revenues.
Emilio F. Riccio, Juris Doctor, is a professor of logistics at Wisconsin International University of Ukraine in Kyiv.
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