Remind me not to drive in this tunnel!

[Howard]

Colin McRae must have been driving the bus, all kudos to the driver , he very nearly got away with it ....

I bet all the old Babushkas inside were screaming their lungs out !!

Great video !!

 

[Spinal]

if you look at the right hand wall in front of the truck the other truck comes through it, from the other tunnel I would guess maybe trying to "u turn"?

The tunnel is actually 2 tunnels, have a look at this map:
http://www.go-magazine.ru/photo/original/528.jpg
IMO, the second truck comes from the other tunnel (travelling in the opposite direction). He loses control, goes through one of the pillars and/or an emergency door. The driver in "our" tunnel sees him, panics and turns, but gets hit anyways by the driver from the other tunnel...

 

[DITTRICH]

I'm on Spinal's side on this one. There is likely to be black ice on the road. I have actually driven a few times through the various tunnels on the Moscow 3rd ring road including this one, though all done in summer months. Before all these tunnels were built and car ownership was much less - ie 10 years ago - only people who knew what they were doing tended to go out in a car in the winter. They were mostly driving on snow and ice and tended to be very very careful. These accidents are all too common. Plus police attendance at accidents is mandatory in Russia because it is they who write up the report and decide who is guilty. This ensures the road is blocked for even longer. The report is the basis for who gets fined by the police and this report is also used by the insurance companies to decide which insurance company has to pay for it all. Now in order for the report to be filled out all drivers involved must turn up at a police station and be interviewed and if one of them doesn't turn up (usually the guilty party) the report doesn't get written and without the report, no one can claim on their insurance policy. Finally it is the innocent party who has to make the claim to the guilty party's insurance company and you can imagine how difficult it is to get them to pay up. And you think UK insurance companies are rubbish?!
Les

 

[Satch]

Never been through that tunnel but the traffic in Moscow is dreadful. Glad I was being driven. Grinding through jams forever then hit some open road and many drivers go nuts.

There are a lot of accidents in that tunnel. AFAIK currently no speed cameras in Moscow so combine that with ice in a quite narrow tunnel and it all goes wrong This is the entrance to the Lefortovo Tunnel and may explain a lot of the problems:

 

[Howard]

Yes, i agree ....

The strange red lightning running to and fro would make me very nervous of going in there !!

 

[DITTRICH]

AFAIK currently no speed cameras in Moscow so combine that with ice in a quite narrow tunnel and it all goes wrong This is the entrance to the Lefortovo Tunnel and may explain a lot of the problems:

Maybe not fixed cameras, but plenty of coppers with radar guns and variable speed limits posted on overhead gantries. The 3rd ring road follows a very tortuous route around moscow and some of the junctions are really complex or badly laid out due to lack of space.

Les

 

[Spinal]

As were on topic of wacky videos... have a look at this one:
http://ebaumsworld.com/2006/10/exgfcrazy.html

 

[dagd]

Do you think he forgot her birthday?

 

[jdrrco]

In the two trucks clip, did anyone else notice how the two cars at the back of the queue calmly indicate left and move across obviously thinking they have a cat in hell's chance of getting past a lorry on its side?