A little while ago, a good friend of mine from home wrote to me asking me to be careful. He was very concerned for my safety, being a girl, alone, and in a foreign country. It is certainly true that I have to keep my wits about me, like any person living in a new and unfamiliar environment and I agree that as a female I face risks to my personal security that men do not normally face.
That being said, crime in Azerbaijan in general and in Baku is pretty low. So while violent crime remains a concern as ever, it is not what I’m afraid of. Being on the road, on the other hand, now there’s a house of horrors. As I told said friend, crossing the street here is an extreme sport.
Driving violations are so abundant that it is difficult to spell them all out, but here are a few example:
– Drivers do not understand the concept of lanes; three lanes become 5 because, well, people here (admittedly) do whatever they want;
– Stopping for pedestrians is not really thing. Even if you are already on the crosswalk, drivers will merely slow down or even drive past you;
– Buses sometimes drive with their doors open;
– Wearing a seatbelt is considered rather bizarre;
And these are only a few.
According to the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, road safety is a grave problem in Azerbaijan. In fact, they cite the fact that in 2011 the police got nearly 3000 accident reports (https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=12292). Can’t say I’m surprised.
Locals don’t seem to think there’s a problem, and I doubt I am going to change anyone’s view. Yet, having had DOT training and being passionate about road safety after my own accident, I can’t help but think I need to take action. I hope to use my position as instructor/conversation leader at the university to bring up the concept of driving culture. Maybe through discussion I can help raise awareness, if nothing else.
Either way, I’ll continue cross myself and pray every time I get on the road.
South of Russia, North of Iran 