Ash's Driving Fail October | Oblivions

[@ashley_neal]

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[@smilerbob]

It is a little known fact that “KEEP CLEAR” when viewed sideways through the windscreen of a taxi it actually reads “YOUR PRIORITY”

[@matt821]

Surely those two cars parking on the pavement next to you was part of a comedy sketch. Your expression when the second one turned up was absolutely pricless.

[@nigelcox1451]

I've had this happen many times when out with learners, but the silliest was during a turn-in-the-road. We'd set off across the road to the right and as we stopped before the kerb, a Golf entered the road behind us. So we waited. It approached, slowly, with both driver and passenger leaning forward looking at the houses on their left. The house immediately behind us displayed a 'To Let' sign. They stopped, against the kerb, directly behind us. Our back bumper was close enough that the driver would not have been able to open his door. The look of surprise on his face when he turned and saw us was priceless. Then changed to puzzled as he tried to work out how we got there. He did reverse to allow us to complete our manoeuvre, otherwise we'd have had to go over the footpath. Thsi was a fully liveried BSM car, so lots of orange. So close, yet invisible to those who don't look.

[@SirIdot]

Parking on the pavement is already baffling enough to me as in Sweden where I live it will lead to a pretty hefty fine.

[@ado543]

@@SirIdot I wish it was the same here, but unfortunately it is completely 100% normal to park on the pavement everywhere in England (except London, where it’s illegal). On almost every street, people park partially or sometimes even completely blocking the pavement. Parking on the pavement isn’t specifically illegal in England. What’s even more baffling is some people even park on the pavement when the road is wide, I assume because that’s how they actually think you’re supposed to park and it’s just an ingrained habit.

[@FistOfFiori]

Haha I was going to post this. First one doing it is annoying, second one it becomes funny.

[@matt821]

@@nigelcox1451 Just mind-boggling sometimes.

[@andrewrussack8647]

“He’s another oblivion!” Great explanation of why we have issues on our roads.

[@type17]

I call that driving style STSing - "Sitting There, Steering"

[@thatLukeKneller]

@13:50 this exact "oblivion" style is what I was teaching my son to be aware of. Dealing with those people (and his own) "I'm following the rules, staying in my lane, under the speed limit" attitude and not adjusting for the active conditions. Wonderful teaching and fills me with joy seeing such a great teacher actively making more road users at the standard that should be standard

[@ianmason.]

I think you meant to say "... teaching my son ... to avoid". 😀

[@thatLukeKneller]

@@ianmason. to be aware of I meant!

[@stephencope7178]

As well as sorting out the potholes, the councils should keep on top of the road markings. Some are almost non existant!!

[@PedroConejo1939]

The defendant failed to follow road markings, your Honour. What road markings?

[@maybenot6075]

​@@PedroConejo1939yep they never learn, at one point there was a solid yellow line outside my house I think, theres a small strip about half a meter long outside 2 doors down that looks older than the king. I live near a school so traffic wardens are usually lurking but never gotten a ticket when iv parked on the road because my drives full. Forever seeing near misses & the odd accident at the junction further down becuase the give way road markings have all but gone.

[@deeznoots6241]

Unfortunately the councils simply can’t afford to, they’ve been strangled of funds for well over a decade and are struggling to maintain basic services with what little cash they do get.

[@Gopher31]

Hats off to the Range Rover who saved himself a whole 5 seconds by mounting the pavement….

[@davidrumming4734]

That’s why they bought an off-road vehicle 😂

[@johnthebomb06]

That's the most off roading they will do

[@KevinWMoor]

Traffic lights: In the 1980s I worked for Liverpool Uni., based in the IT building at the junction of Brownlow Hill and Crown Street. I heard or saw 3 collisions, at the traffic lights, in the first couple of months I was there. I queried this with those that had worked there for some time and they confirmed it was a regular occurrence. The traffic lights were removed maybe 3 months into my contract and the collisions stopped. It seems people assume traffic from the other road will obey the lights when they don't. A give way sign, on the other hand, encourages people to check for other vehicles. Mad.

[@paulfranklin8636]

3:03 "Im sorry, no, he's just utterly brain dead" 🤣🤣🤣 almost had ne choking on my Porridge

[@travis-bickle-84]

Not ALL taxi and private hire licensing authorities have vehicle safety tests that are not recorded on the DVLA database. Many authorities use regular MOT testing stations which records the mileage data on the DVLA database. So while missing mileage data MAY, in some cases, be indicative of a vehicle that has been used as a taxi or private hire vehicle, it doesn't mean that the opposite also applies (i.e. if a vehicle has regular mileage entries, it doesn't necessarily mean that it definitely hasn't been a taxi or private hire vehicle). Most licensing authorities insist on their taxis and private hire vehicles being tested twice annually, so another good way to identify if a car has ever been a taxi or private hire vehicle (other than missing mileage entries of course), is if it DOES have mileage entries, AND it's been tested twice a year on consecutive years.

[@ibs5080]

Cheers me up to see your Saturday video come in Ash. I'll view this now from my hospital room. Been here over 3 weeks now and no word yet when I get to go home. I've been quoted 4 to 6 weeks total followed by around 10 months of outpatient treatment during which time I can start resuming my life and going to all those trade shows and car shows again. Speaking of which, I was supposed to be at the huge NEC Classic Car show this weekend for all 3 days. I contacted a few vendors I know just so that they wouldn't wonder why I didn't show up, as I'm a staunch regular. Lo and behold I got a specific mention by name in one of their videos, even mentioning my Canadian scarf that I wear. I was quite chuffed. Anyhow, I'm making progress here folks but can't wait to get my regular life back. Stay safe folks. Ibrahim in Canterbury

[@matt821]

Sounds really positive Ibrahim 👍🏻 Still a tough process but good to have that light at the end of the tunnel. Stay well.

[@zaink7037]

Wish you all the best in health ibs. Always stay positive 🙏

[@thomaselliot2257]

Cheered me up to see your comment, Ibrahim.

[@ibs5080]

@@matt821 Thank You very much for your encouragement.

[@ibs5080]

@@zaink7037 I will indeed endeavour to stay positive to beat this. Thank You.

[@WayneTulip-zm9gw]

15:04 exactly, when the lanes are merging you don’t need to be the sharpest tool in the toolbox to work out that being next to another vehicle is asking for trouble, either drop back to get ahead, never beside, always in a staggered formation.

[@RichardBacon-h5x]

Thanks for another interesting compilation. Makes me think about my driving when I watch these. The mistakes I make and the methods to avoid nasty consequences of others mistakes too.

[@diabeticdave7840]

TBF in that last clip, you held back for all of them (with the smallest of small creeps forward) when it seems when there was space on the other side of the keep clear. So if I was entering from that junction I'd think you were letting me out too. And they're taxis, so if you give them a whiff of space they'll take it.

[@cactusbase3088]

I was thinking the same too. Perhaps not quite positive enough from Ashley on this occasion? Will be interested in Ashleys thoughts.

[@rogerkearns8094]

I think he wanted to be sure of clearing the junction, but nobody gave him a chance.

[@frogsplorer]

Don’t agree. He was trying to keep the keep clear clear. Let the first taxi go, which is polite, then tried to indicate he wanted to go with little creeps but the taxis just kept barging. I guess most people would just pull forward into the keep clear and stuff anyone wanting to turn in

[@diabeticdave7840]

@frogsplorer as I said, it appeared there was plenty of space the other side. Hence 3 cars plus Ashley ended up fitting. He was just a tad too hesitant that day.

[@raymondbenjamins5884]

Yeah, I was thinking the same. Ashley was moving, but very slowly. I can definitely see why the taxis might have thought he was letting them out (the final also giving a thumbs up shows that it's exactly what they thought).

[@raymondbenjamins5884]

9:35 I immediately thought of the clip you had before. I thought the same thing would happen again (and it did), but I did not expect two cars to do it. Some people are really so self centered, that they'd rather block the entire road than walk 10 meters extra...

[@Pureblood002]

The green stripe along the bottom of the screen ( the bonnet ) makes me keep thinking I'm "back online"

[@tin2001]

Yep. Just the right shade for KZbin 😂

[@ibs5080]

Me too

[@johno4521]

Haha not just me then

[@LeftCoastStephen]

I like the term Oblivion. Much better than some I might use. 😂😉

[@mattwuk]

Now you're back on the bike I see you're extra aware of being staggered and nice to see your pushing this in the instruction Ash.

[@ianmason.]

"Audi A3 ... I bought it from new so I didn't obviously have any problems". Hmm, I remember another VAG vehicle that you had to formally _reject_ in the end. Perhaps not so obvious after all.

[@andreakinuthia4197]

My evening commute back from work has been soul-destroying this week. People blocking the nearby traffic light controlled roundabout. Every. Single. Day. On Tuesday, it took 20 mins to get across it. There. Rant over.

[@christopherfanshawe1425]

I like the term "Oblivions" and viewing dash cam videos shows how prevalent they are (especially in America). It is so common to wonder, even without the benifit of periferal vision, as to how these drivers can fail to see the danger approaching from the side. They are oblivious! The important point to remember with "Oblivions" is their car may be in gear, but their mind is in neutral. As any situation develops, they will be slow to react.

[@R04drunner1]

Car in gear, mind in neutral. 😂 Love it

[@simong9067]

The Oblivions from planet Cigmin.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Ah, the old 'car came out of nowhere' crowd. Trans-dimensional transport is not a thing.

[@Shylo2017]

Around about 11:00... Really?! That is almost unbelievable, but at the same time, over time things like that are getting more and more believable. But seriously... How oblivious and inconsiderate do you have to be?

[@lozyoung4110]

11:00 I don't understand why people park on the pavement like this, it's still blocking the road enough that two vehicles can't pass each other. More importantly it obstructs the pavement for wheelchairs, pushchairs etc, and damages the surface 🙄

[@Marc-ww7cc]

It's completely selfish. It was a nightmare trying to get my mum's wheelchair off the pavement, into the road, then backwards up onto the pavement again. Often the driver would sit and watch you struggle.

[@kamo7293]

they're just not thinking. why park in a way that makes a bottleneck? it's silly

[@ado543]

I think some people must genuinely think that’s how you’re supposed to park. Or maybe it’s just an ingrained habit that they never give any thought about.

[@Marc-ww7cc]

@@ado543 possibly also an element of the 'car first' mentality, where people consider inconveniencing other drivers to be worse than blocking the pavement for pedestrians. We should be looking after the vulnerable and not forcing them into the road.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Plod is getting onto this in some forces. You can report a driver for blocking a pavement, and if a wheelchair user, I fully recommend it. Seems to be dealt with if a series of complaints are received, but obviously, not a priority, but does occasionally get a good response.

[@jameskole3584]

At 12:30 to 14:00 until the Ford came a factor, Ashley and the Skoda showing how it should be done. Sometimes it's best to be positive, like the Skoda and Ashley at the traffic lights with the yellow car, sometimes it's best to hang back, like Ashley did with the yellow car at first.

[@WayneTulip-zm9gw]

17:03 in that situation Ashley I would of let one car out to be nice but then I would have positively started to move forwards and made eye contact with them to say to them ‘I’ve let one car out in kindness, now it’s my turn to go’.. I know there are no road markings so nobody has priority but even without the road markings it’s easy to see what is the main road and what is the side road.

[@MrQuakeroat]

Sensible...but...do you really think it would have made any difference? They're taxis/private hire cars - they'll just do their own thing whatever anyone else does.

[@Pattoe]

Its crazy how drivers brains switch off when they see a car with an L plate. For me as a cyclist if I'm behind a car with an L plate I just stay behind them in primary position. I don't want to under or overtake them. I'm much happier with them in front of me than behind me. Same with any driver I see driving with a lack of experience or sense. I'd rather be behind drivers who are less able, whether that be because they are learners or because they never learned properly.

[@rustydusty2992]

14:00 Good clip about both having to take positive action in merge in turn scenarios, pretty much ties in with the staggared driving scenario to.

[@nicb900]

regarding not overtaking & turning left in front of the cyclist, I know you wouldn't, but so many drivers do, I have learnt to be so wary of this coming up to junctions, side roads, etc on my cycle, also turning out from a side road in front of me, it happens every journey I do. The worse are buses who have done this to me!

[@shadowstar68]

I was cycling home and a driver overtook a cyclist opposite me with a close pass and then turned into his drive two doors further on, forcing the same cyclist to stop for him.

[@GlidingLucy98]

I was driving to the supermarket literally this morning and had a cyclist in front of me, there was no point in overtaking as I needed to turn left not too far up the road and I would of been putting them in danger just to save myself 2 seconds which wasn't worth it. A woman in an SUV behind me was flashing her lights, trying to force me into an overtake, down a road where we've got a lorry unloading a delivery, pedestrian heavy and cars parked everywhere. As a driver and a cyclist, people are too impatient and have this sense of 'I'm more important', especially if the car has a bit more power or is a big vehicle

[@5uper5kill3rz]

It's because you're far slower than a car so if the bus waits for you, they will also have to wait for the 50 other people behind you (who will speed up to close the gap to ensure the bus can't pull out as nobody wants to have to slow down) :(

[@AdrianDowthwaite]

Are Ashley Neal bumper stickers coming soon? Featuring "Are you an Oblivion?", "Drive in a staggered formation" & other classics - that i can't remember right now as i'm too tired.

[@goodguykonrad3701]

17:00 I'll be honest, Ashley, I think you should have been more positive after the black cab to stop the next taxi from pulling out. It looked like an invitation to come out for the second, and the same again for the third.

[@ianmason.]

There was a marked "KEEP CLEAR". Ash was between a rock and a hard place. Pulling forward to block the next taxi would have just defeated what Ash, and the traffic engineers, wanted - for that KEEP CLEAR to be kept clear.

[@goodguykonrad3701]

@@ianmason. I get that, but it seemed like there might have been enough space to go alongside like Ashley ended up doing. More importantly though, you could see the traffic starting to move. Even if he's going to be partially in the keep clear box, it won't be for more than a few seconds because the traffic ahead is starting to move.

[@MrQuakeroat]

I agree. And I don't understand why people continue to be surprised by the appalling standard of driving shown by taxi/private hire drivers.

[@michaelfoley906]

I'm a fairly new PDI and learning quite a bit from those snippets of you doing the instructor training. I'm definitely stealing the 'Oblivion' from you as well!

[@philipsmith9688]

9:37 thought you’d shown this before until the second car appeared

[@rustydusty2992]

@philipsmith9688 Yes I remember that one to but I immediatly realised as soon as he said "I had that happen to me before along this road" that it was not that clip, but a keystone cops/Laurel and Hardy moment when the second car came along.

[@ScruffyMisguidedAndBlue]

Same, the second numpty was really the icing on the cake!

[@rustydusty2992]

@@ScruffyMisguidedAndBlue Yea also had the great timing of a only fools and horeses moment didn't it like the one with delboy falling through the bar with trigs wonderfull straight face.

[@MarkoOBE]

Agree with pretty much everything apart from the "oblivian" situation. They do think about what they're doing, they know exactly what they're doing, they just go ahead and do it anyway and expect everyone else to adjust their driving to accommodate their selfish and arrogant driving. Of course, most of us do, but when you get two selfish drivers, that's when you see them at the side of the road exchanging details !

[@lerelo]

end of the line for the Mellor signals at the beginning of the video - I'm amazed they lasted so long!

[@CristiNeagu]

Some traffic lights should be scrapped, if you ask me. Got some not far away from me, set in an intersection with very low traffic. Almost every single time I get there there's a red light and no one crossing. 0:48 Also, did we REALLY need a rule telling motorists to not run over people in that situation? It was already illegal. Before the rule changes, you still had to do exactly what you did right there. Pedestrian starts crossing, you have to stop. The difference now is that he pedestrian feels entitled to cross (so far more risk of jumping out in front of cars), and you are obliged to stop (potentially getting rear ended) if there's a pedestrian there, even if the pedestrian doesn't want to cross. All of these risks are even higher at roundabouts. It is an absolutely silly rule that causes dangerous situations with absolutely no benefit to anyone.

[@Batters56]

17:01 I think this situation should have a new Highway Code rule written for it. There’s one near me, which is covered by a really long yellow box. Technically, the people from the side road can just keep coming and coming unless the person on the main road breaks the rules to move up.

[@johnriggs4929]

Here's a situation that happened to me, a few weeks ago: I was approaching a mini roundabout with four entries/exits. I was intending to continue straight ahead. At exactly the same time as I arrived, a red 4x4 coming from the opposite direction, indicating a right turn, (across my path,) arrived. I was going to give way, but just at that moment, a van coming to the roundabout from my right (a concealed entry actually, because visibility is restricted, due to a building,) beat the car to it, entering the roundabout at a fairly high speed. The van driver must have seen the 4x4 and should have given way to him, obviously. However, because the van was already on the roundabout, heading in the same direction as me, I followed him through. As I was exiting the roundabout, the 4x4 driver blasted his horn - I think, at me. Can someone tell me who was at fault here?

[@WayneTulip-zm9gw]

16:00 that’s why you always need to be fully aware of your surroundings at all times, always know what’s going on in front behind and to the sides and always have an escape plan just in case.

[@ryanberry1]

I was driving in Greece last week and it blew my mind how little they respected lights, crossings or any logic on the road.... looks as though we're getting closer to that each day here...

[@TheCatBilbo]

Not worrying about what people think behind you, whilst waiting for pedestrians or pausing because it's safer where you are - is key. We can be pushed into doing things whilst driving just because of other's 'disapproval' - real, or imagined. It definitely affects some newer drivers but others as well. I've learnt to stick to my guns over the years, I'm staying safe & keeping others safe - that's it.

[@leeh4722]

I drive 5000 miles a month….Taxi drivers are the worst on the road ( other than mopeds in London) It’s as though they all learned to drive in a country where there are no rules????

[@markgodwin6003]

This is the way of the Oblivions. We know that you can see us Sensible drivers. Does that make you Captain Ash??!?! Oh and their mantra.... IDWID I Do What I Do... Hopefully, the more people that get to grips with the simple approach of staggering their position in traffic and reading the tell tales, we will defeat them.

[@dacre6630]

I can't get over how many people are stopping and parking on the white zigzag lines of a zebra crossing!!!

[@PedroConejo1939]

One of those parking violations that will earn you points.

[@weevilinabox]

I think you're underestimating the Oblivions' attentiveness. Many of them have never missed a single social media notification! More seriously, I think they're closer to Automatons than Oblivions, and here's why. Driving is hugely mentally demanding task for new drivers. With increasing experience, the cognitive load reduces, freeing up some mental capacity. Automatons continue to drive at a low level - essentially just using a set of hardwired motions - and use the freed-up mental capacity to attend to things unrelated to driving. By contrast, some drivers use the reserve capacity to make better observations and better plans. They are aware that it's possible to become a better driver, and actively seek to do so. I suspect that most Automatons have either never been exposed to genuinely good driving, or, of they have, didn't recognise it because skilled driving appears unremarkable to the casual observer. I think it would be an eye-opening experience for most drivers to be driven around by an advanced driver giving a driving commentary.

[@KXXULADavidOC]

9:52 I remember this road from a previous video, hard to believe it happened once let along another 2 times here, how can people be that unaware or silly especially with an entire empty road to park on 😅

[@christyers2748]

Hi Ashley I watch your drive in a staggered formation video And you said about how you not like adaptive cruise control I drive down the A34 probably 12 times a yearly And if used properly can do your staggered formation say 90% of the time I sit in with the lorry’s mainly but over take if there’s one going slow say 48 Mph With the adjustments on the IACC You just have to adjust the distance from the lorry’s to find a space It does what it says on the tin If you use it right it’s fine for staggered driving Town driving I never use it but motorways it’s fine Regards chris

[@kenbrown2808]

I had the opportunity to experience it in a hire car, on holiday. and it was a convenience - but you are kind of dependent on the driver in front to not be an oblivion.

[@sparkatron9334]

Hi Ashley. You've vocalised plenty about how other road users (mainly now called the braindead, lol) treat learner vehicles. Has having your Focus St model being sporty and a brighter colour caused these incidents to happen more or less frequently.

[@-aid4084]

I'd call myself a confident driver now after a year and a half on restricted lisense(nz) but the people I'm most weary of are the people behind me, because I can only limousine stop and expect them to be able to brake and not keep going into the back of me. Might be a side effect of being rear ended but at least I can control what I see in front of me, prevent a crash when I see potential situations and take steps to prevent them from escalating. I'm never going to let myself cause a crash, because I expect that of myself.

[@markwright3161]

8:38 They've just seen your video on driving in a staggered formation. They've just really committed to being staggering :)

[@JamesA1984]

As a fellow motorcyclist, @ashley_neal, I'm sorry to have to say I didn't see you doing any real blind spot checks or lifesavers at any time in this video. I don't know if you have stick-on or hung-down blind spot mirrors or what, but it'd be good to see you making a point of doing shoulder checks regardless, as I know DVSA examiners still expect to see pupils checking over their shoulders even if you have additional mirrors for blind spots. I am a car driver, motorcyclist, and PCV driver, too.

[@jamdonut]

that carvertical ad was amazin what a good little tidbit

[@Pystro]

15:38 And they even put two lights there, so that black car didn't even have the issue of having to guess if it's a light after the intersection or one for the pedestrian crossing. At least one of them had to have been for the crossing.

[@TC_here]

9:50... how can you not realise youve just blocked the road ..amazing

[@AndrewFosterSheff69]

The quality of driving, specifically re paying attention and being considerate of other road users got far worse after the 💉roll out IMHO. People generally "seem" to be thinking "slower", way slower. I had one just this morning while on my motorbike (MT09SP), it was a high end Merc, we were in a 50 avg. speed zone, they were doing 38 and they started to go even slower, so I did a quick "blip" on my throttle, just to let them know I was there and that they were now significantly holding traffic up and they pretty much threw their car left to get out of my way. I had no intention of overtaking, we were on a bend and there was a junction coming up, but it just demonstrated to me that they were paying no attention, were not aware of their surroundings and probably hadn't even noticed I was even there (to panic like they did)! I know it was maybe "rude" to do the "blip", but this was during a commute and they were slowing down more and more to the point that I felt they needed to be reminded where they were and to keep the flow of traffic moving (I could have used the horn but I think that is more rude on a motorbike tbh). You have to have you head on a swivel anyway on a motorbike, but it defo got far worse post covid!

[@goodguykonrad3701]

10:11 I was going to ask if this was just a reupload of an old clip! Unbelievable: I just don't understand why anyone would consciously decide to go there instead of literally anywhere else.

[@aveekbh]

Yes, I was about to say the same thing! And then there was one more - where one goes another will follow.

[@raymondbenjamins5884]

Yeah, it takes a special kind of selfish person to rather block the entire road than walk 10 meters more (if that)...

[@james-5560]

Somebody should report that private hire driver 6853 to the Liverpool private hire licence complaints. That is shocking.

[@Matthew-bu7fg]

Hi Ashley, Given the topic of these fails seemed to revolve around oblivions, do you notice any particular times when this seems to be particularly bad? I'm wondering whether driving around at 5pm is worse than say 9am because people are jaded after a long working day and don't give the attention they need to their driving ... or whether the habits remain the same all day round.

[@ashley_neal]

It's an interesting question. Mostly I find that it's the particular day rather than a time of day that proves to be the problem. I'm not very spiritual, but I don't know whether it has something to do with the moon, the sun, the stars, the tides or the weather!

[@JurivonStolzenberg14]

Rear view mirror: since i did my HGv licence 8 years ago i flipped my interior mirror up and don't use it . It fives me more concentration on front and sides. I also look sideways like a motorbiker when tirning or changing lanes . I feel not looking at rear takes pressure off and makes observation forward much more accurate . When reversing i look ocer both shoulders as well as at my mickey mouse camera😅

[@clickrick]

"Hold your hands up if you need lessons" I said it out loud two seconds before you did, Ash, but only to prompt you because you'd forgotten to say it 😆

[@TheBadVideoMaker]

I've been calling them 'oblivs' for years. Whether they are on the road, in the supermarket, pedestrian, cyclist or wherever they spawn. I wonder how they get through life. My favourite are running groups - they all just follow the leader without regard for cars, pedestrians, cyclists or children. I remember shouting at one lot once running in a designated and distinctly separate cycle lane, against the flow, with no regard for anyone else. When I asked them if any of them ever thought for themselves independently, they just looked at me with total incomprehension.

[@DragonFyre221]

Not sure why but I found the cyclist pedalling when you sped to vid up at 6:52 very funny

[@iallso1]

5.45 in, that was not bad planning, that was a deliberate act to get in front of the car with L plates. I'm sure you realised that.

[@paulgriffiths531]

yep, they deliberately indicated left at 5:33 then approx 20 metres further down (as they were half a car in front of Ash) they indicated right - they knew exactly what they were doing.

[@jezp1976]

Even worse are Oblivions on slip roads who pootle down at around 40mph with no regard for the traffic in lane 1 doing 50+ mph and just merge expecting the other traffic to accommodate them.

[@Andy_ATB]

The Oblivions - they're everywhere......

[@johnnykeane9633]

Has Ashley or anyone have any advice for not being worried about cars behind? I find it impossible not to be anxious about cars behind me even when they are driving correctly....

[@ashley_neal]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3elXnWvgZmsnZY

[@shm5547]

Take up cycling, makes almost anything that happens when you're cocooned in a vehicle seem irrelevant.

[@johnnykeane9633]

Thanks Ashley, will have a watch of that 🙏🏻

[@johnnykeane9633]

​@@shm5547unfortunately I live too far from work in a rural area and am also a postman so have to drive unfortunately but don't enjoy it one bit as it's very stressful on the roads

[@shm5547]

@@johnnykeane9633 I had a 10 mile rural commute, so not too bad for cycling. Although many bad drivers to manage. It’s a shame the post office got rid of the pashley mail star, used to see loads of posties riding them. I believe they decided vans were safer and more efficient. Probably only because it meant they could close down a load of the local delivery offices. There is one postie in a village I often cycle through who still rides a mail star. Kudos to him!

[@peel94]

I do genuinely believe if you removed a good portion of traffic lights, added more mini roundabouts and massively increased the amount of pedestrian crossings the roads would be safer as people would have to observe and use there brains a lot more.

[@yodaslovetoy]

Good idea but it relies on people using their brains and those are in short supply atm

[@_Steven_S]

More likely they'd observe less because it's only a mini roundabout, and if you mean zebra crossings... they'd just ignore them too.

[@tin2001]

A tactic I've thought of to help improve driving standards is to have police actually enforce the road rules. Speed cameras might be a cheaper method of issuing fines, but they can only handle speed. We need human cops out there to speak to the human drivers and say "that thing you just did is illegal because it's dangerous. Stop it." If necessary, issue fines too.

[@dlon4539]

There's some crazy driving at exits and entrances to slip roads

[@joespittle1]

Wow traffic lights are massive up close. I never realized they're actually quite big

[@LeftCoastStephen]

I like the term Oblivion. Much better than some I might use. 😂😉

[@philipsmith9688]

Councils upgrading traffic lights, be changing them again in a few years for temporary lights

[@ShaneBro]

Love your reaction when the two cars pull up behind each other. Your like captain Picard doing the face palm. I call that the selfishness. Can't figure out that there are other people on the planet.

[@bestintheworld568]

15:48 “But but but you’re lane hogging Ashley!!!!!” Seriously though, the lack of observations or signal from someone driving a vehicle that big is concerning.

[@philipsmith9688]

5:43 I’d have personally gone behind them in first place, everybody’s different

[@kenbrown2808]

6:53 by my state's laws, had you overtaken, and then made the left turn close enough that it caused problems for the cyclist; it would have been a violation; not just bad driving. that is definitely an instance, I would signal my turn extra early, the cyclist would see I was declining to overtake, because I planned to turn, and motorists behind could see that I wasn't going to pop out and overtake; so they could.

[@Terry-yl9gn]

16:22 Maybe the cammer should look at his speedometer (he's doing 25 in a 20 zone) before moaning about other people not signaling?!!

[@Chalkie1983]

6:10, it’s very possible the person isn’t from around there and made the mistake, making it a non event like you did is the best thing. Pains me when I see on other ‘dashcam videos’ people who get upset and aggressive towards those who make a simple mistake like that.

[@razzle1964]

‘possible’ … but, unlikely.

[@WayneTulip-zm9gw]

14:35 wow, I’ve never heard Ashley speak as positively as that before, well, probably partly positively and probably partly in disbelief and annoyance, the bottom line is, don’t trust any other road user and never ever drive in a routine manner, always drive to the situation.

[@kenbrown2808]

:20 the same clip where I said you knew the wrong way roundabout cyclist was coming before he was visible.

[@thatLukeKneller]

"No sorry, they are just braindead" - love it

[@philipsmith9688]

2:22 loving the thumbs up

[@PS-fl7et]

_Those aren’t drivers, they are people in vehicles. There is a huge difference_ Just returning one of the usual retorts back over the fence

[@ianmason.]

Now, how many other people given the two muppets parking up opposite them would have taken the time and trouble to fix the problem they created? Especially as it necessitated going from "parked up" to actively avoiding them? Well done Ash and a perfect example of the attitude we all need to take. And for anyone who's thinking "Well OK, but it shouldn't be my job to fix that kind of thing.", one of the things that will go through the mind of the police when deciding whether to charge someone is "causing an accident ... owing to the presence of a vehicle on the road". So there's a self-serving reason to fix this kind of problem - avoiding a collision and/or prosecution - as well as a good altruistic reason for actively fixing this kind of problem.

[@WayneTulip-zm9gw]

08:18 that’s why you drive at an appropriate speed and always expect the unexpected.

[@BsktImp]

It’s a shame Ashley’s still not managed to do a drive/ride or podcast with bad drivers, motorcyclist and other poor road users to try and get inside their heads and work out just what is going through their minds when they do things like this.

[@ashley_neal]

I’ve asked Cycling Mikey, Gaz, Jeremy Vine and Silvio a number of times 😂

[@BsktImp]

@@ashley_neal Haha! Got me.

[@Demun1649]

You have a lot of roads, up there, where people park on the pavements. Is there no one considering mothers with babies, toddlers, and school age kids? Is there no one who thinks, "How does a blind person get round my dumping of the car right on a PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY?" And no one thinking of those who need a mobility scooter, or powered wheelchair, to get around. Or do we not matter to the "Great British Public"? I think it is the latter. Just look at the facts, 2023 saw a rise of 43% in violent assaults, against disabled people, by strangers, in public places. There is an increasing antipathy towards us, a definite move to close down our freedom, so they don't ever have to see us.

[@WayneTulip-zm9gw]

11:50 definitely don’t have a vehicle next to you but also think about in front and behind, I like to call it my personal safety bubble, if someone invades my personal space in front behind or to the sides I’ll check my mirrors and I’ll adjust my speed accordingly.

[@mwclarke]

That oddly parked car clip stinks (no pun intended) of being drug dealing.

[@DavidWillanski]

What can you do if you're trying to drive staggered but the car in the other lane keeps matching speed with you? eg you slow down a bit so they can get ahead, but they slow as well and say beside you

[@ianmason.]

You can try making your speed adjustments more abrupt or obvious, but sometimes there are people who just won't be helped - I've found myself before now sitting in the car saying to myself "Look, I'm trying to keep out of your way and you keep trying to put me back in your way. Pay some ruddy attention!".

[@TestGearJunkie.]

06:06 Bear in mind they may not be local and have just found themselves in the wrong lane. It's happened to me a few times.

[@leedorney]

Sometimes, on the road, you can feel as tho you're invisible...

[@cactusbase3088]

I keep trying to find the button on my dashboard that turns off stealth mode.

[@WayneTulip-zm9gw]

13:45 brilliant driving by the blue car giving it a bit more speed to go in front of you but terrible driving from the grey car.

[@xeode]

you don't have to fret about people behind upset you're not fast away because they've not seen what you've seen (when you have manoeuvred gradually and indicated etc etc) but spare a thought for the people that nearly drive into your bumper when you're inexplicably slow away as traffic starts to move at lights etc 🤣

[@phillwainewright4221]

Genuine question. When queueing at the lights in a right-turn only lane, is it necessary to indicate right?

[@SiCrewe]

5:35 To be fair, it looked like the driver intended to turn left and then had a conversation with their passenger resulting in them changing their mind. In general, I think you're being too kind when you assume drivers are in their own "bubbles". I've had other drivers turn and look me in the eye, as 2 lanes are merging, and then when traffic starts moving again they'll just continue to trundle along beside me until I yield. Some drivers just treat every trip as a competition to be "won".

[@longdarkrideatnight]

Those two cars pulling up beside you. I would have left the area, it looked like a drug deal going down.

[@kenbrown2808]

13:22. I'm guessing he saw the driving school roofbox, and the MBIF kicked in.

[@dgphi]

2:05 I don't think it's just the L plate. People shut down the space when I want to change lanes all the time. It happens so often, I don't even get mad anymore.

[@brewdog8626]

Donald Sutherland staring in 'Invasion of the obivions' - comming to a street near you.

[@WilliamMuraszko]

Glad you've mentioned the often unjustified fear of being rear-ended - so often used as an excuse for self-important drivers to ignore the last updates to the HWC. If it's not a problem at regular give ways or zebras, it's not a problem for pedestrians crossing side roads.

[@Oligodendrocyte139]

That doesn't follow. People are more likely to anticipate cars stopping for crossings and marked give ways.

[@WilliamMuraszko]

@@Oligodendrocyte139 Have you been rear-ended giving way to someone in accordance with the updates? Or have you never tried, because you're more important in your car?

[@Oligodendrocyte139]

@WilliamMuraszko Actually, I'm one of the few people that does follow the new rules, and pretty much did before anyway. If you can't accept you've made a simple non sequitur without jumping to ad hominen attacks then I suggest you look at your own attitudes and biases.

[@WilliamMuraszko]

@@Oligodendrocyte139 I'm sorry if I've unfairly judged, but this isn't a complete non-sequitur - I expect excuses for poor driving habits to mostly come from those guilty of them. Keep up the good work, and stay safe out there :)

[@PedroConejo1939]

I have been rear-ended for following the rules regarding pedestrians, and the driver behind had plenty of warning - just wasn't prepared for someone stopping. I face it every day when I turn off the NSL main road into our lane, which is an acute-angled turn _and_ into a single-track road where you get about 3 metres to discover whether you have to stop for vehicles coming along it - and it's even worse in wet weather because of the gravel that gathers on it. No matter how I manage the driver behind, with early signal, brake and slowing, there's a one-in-five chance the driver behind will sound the horn at me in annoyance. So far, not been hit, but the concern about being rear-ended is very real, and the effect on your insurance is real too, even if you are not at fault. Edit: Just to add, I assiduously follow the new rules, and as others have said, did so before anyway.

[@kenbrown2808]

9:13 another example of a person telling themselves they are helping traffic by using all the available road.

[@TimmyTonk]

That Grey Ford Mondeo thought they were in Cyprus