The accidental journalists: Why Russian motorists were able to capture stunning video of the falling meteor

Thanks to the spread of cheap mobile communications tech, the accidental journalist is more common than ever. Take for example all that great video of a 10-ton meteor exploding over Russia last week.

A decade ago, we would more than likely just read about the event. Today, we can see it happen on YouTube, thanks to the dash-cams that about 1 million Russians use in their vehicles.

Mashable explains:

According to a report last year by Al Jazeera, an estimated one million Russian motorists have dashboard video cameras installed in their cars. This is not to capture moments like the meteor flight or even miraculous survivals of horrifying highway crashes. No, Al Jazeera reported that the cams are there to help stamp out police corruption. 

New York Blogger Marina Galperina, who originally hails from Russia, wrote a fascinating piece last year about Russia's dash cam culture. Galperina called the cams "Russia's last hope for civility and survival on the road." The country's roads are "perilous" and, she wrote, "psychopaths are abundant." However Galperina also points to police and government corruption as a driving force behind the Russian dash cam explosion.