---
title: "Moscow Is Not the Ideal Place to Develop Self-Driving Cars, Russian Firms Say"
description: "But companies are doing it anyway."
date: "2018-01-03"
modified: "2018-01-03"
authors:
  - name: "Stephen Edelstein"
    job_title: "Weekend Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stephen-edelstein"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/article/17320/moscow-is-not-the-ideal-place-to-develop-self-driving-cars-russian-firms-say"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "News"
  - "Self-Driving Tech"
tags:
  - "Autonomous Cars"
  - "Moscow"
  - "russia"
  - "self-driving cars"
  - "Tech"
---

# Moscow Is Not the Ideal Place to Develop Self-Driving Cars, Russian Firms Say

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/01/p8a0787_1.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Developers of self-driving cars in the United States are lucky that Silicon Valley is the home of the U.S. tech industry. California's sunny weather and well-maintained roads make it a good testing ground. That can't be said of Moscow.

The Russian capital is challenging even for human drivers, but local companies are [testing self-driving cars there anyway](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/16507/yandex-autonomous-cars-go-for-a-drive-in-the-snow>), according to a recent report by [*The Guardian*](<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/02/moscow-russia-self-driving-car-challenge-hackathon>). Poor weather, including snow that obscures traffic signs, bad roads, and aggressive, unpredictable drivers make Moscow a self-driving car hell.

Cars developed in less-harsh environments can't possibly function in Moscow, Olga Uskova of Cognitive Technologies, a Russian software company, told *The Guardian*. Indeed, at a recent hackathon for self-driving cars, international competitors found the data from Russian roads to be inadequate. Snow often obscured traffic signs, which non-Russians said tend to be hard to tell apart anyway. A Russian team won the competition by digging into the trove of [local dash-cam footage](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10245/russian-dash-cam-video-shows-helicopter-buzzing-highway>) that has also become a staple of YouTube.

Russian drivers feel the need to equip their cars with dash cams because [crashes are common](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/5478/impatient-russian-hatchback-tries-to-pass-immediately-pays-for-it>). Traffic laws are widely ignored in Moscow, where speeding violations only lead to a $4 fine, paid over the phone. There are nearly 20 serious crashes a day in the city.

But for now, the biggest hurdle for [autonomous cars](<https://www.thedrive.com/self-driving-cars/15724/what-are-these-levels-of-autonomy-anyway>) in Russia may be regulatory. Russia has no formal regulations sanctioning the test of self-driving cars on public roads. The only designated autonomous-car testing area in Moscow is a 400-meter (1,312-foot) track sprinkled with traffic signs and pedestrian crossings to simulate a real street. Test cars will need to rack up some real-world mileage eventually.

If self-driving cars are allowed onto the streets of Moscow in large numbers, the city could become an important crucible for the technology. Like [Indian cities](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/12032/self-driving-cars-are-flummoxed-by-indias-chaotic-roads>) or even [New York City](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/15200/general-motors-bringing-self-driving-cars-to-new-york-citys-mean-streets>), the challenging environment will push the limits of self-driving cars. If these cars can handle Moscow, they can probably handle anything.

## Author
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he's not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/SAEdelstein>)