"I will not accept that it's a highly dangerous road" (1988)

[@thebernice6062]

It appears to be sunny and clear, so very challenging and unusual conditions for British drivers.

[@Schnort]

Oh, that completely changes the picture. I understand now.

[@Sykesx]

😂

[@IncarnateSable]

This is the one

[@sonofpears4691]

Yeah they must have thought they had accidentally travelled to America and been confused

[@glyn6170]

Es[ecially in the North East. Driving conditions they don't usually get.

[@Optidorf]

This type of braking is called engine braking. You slam your engine on the vehicle in front and then you brake.

[@lab9998]

😂😂

[@Bossfightmedia]

Thats a golden Joke lmao

[@Coolcarting]

But he clearly skidded before making contact with the car in front. 🤦

[@detroitdan8487]

A definition that could only made by the British. Well done!

[@Ohnaw666]

@@Coolcartingand you’re too stupid to get the joke

[@anthonycraig1458]

That's a treacherous bit of road, deceptively flat. And straight. Who knew that driving such a road could be so perilous.

[@victorchozen4205]

Speaking in slang I see

[@markfox1545]

​@@victorchozen4205- you clearly don't understand what slang means.

[@insightphoto]

I think the idiot meant 'sarcasm' @@markfox1545

[@j.wwilson4866]

@@markfox1545 I think you don’t know what sarcasm is sir.

[@capndallas4918]

​@markfox1545 seriously you need jesus. What a comment.

[@draheim90]

As an American I see the problem, all those cars have a passenger but no driver!

[@evilborg]

nice one !!

[@waynesworld7804]

😂

[@Scullgaming962]

dont forget theyre on the wrong side of the road

[@s-c..]

Guffaw, guffaw!

[@Jessepigman69]

This one made me chuckle

[@TimSlee1]

This looks like a Monty Python sketch, the comedic timing is too perfect

[@pengyzin8668]

All that's missing is a laugh track

[@22espec]

They would have used a clown car

[@doughall2932]

Enough of that! It’s _silleh!_

[@mariocastillo8334]

I legit thought it was MP, I mean John Cleese could look like the suit with some makeup and I would have been none the wiser.

[@Gfysimpletons]

You should see the new and improved monty python, it’s called sharia Law and it’s a hoot!

[@raulemanuel0310]

“Bloody hell, what‘s that enormous light coming from the fookin‘ sky?“

[@CatIsMad]

😂 "Fookin"

[@roderickjoyce6716]

@@CatIsMad Teesside. 😁

[@roseCatcher_]

​@TrustandbelieveintheLORD2 now say that in a British accent

[@robertdavidson8028]

@@roseCatcher_ It is a bit Liverpudlian, I'd say. Whether or not that's appropriate for the north east I leave to others, but it's one way of avoiding the censor.

[@shea455]

Where'd that giant ball of hydrogen come from??!

[@illusion466]

When I first saw this, I thought it was a skit out of a bad sitcom

[@theurchin65]

Yes, you're not far wrong. Not the Nine O'clock News did a comedy sketch in the 1980s parodying a road safety advert of the time: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHaUZniqqqZpkJo

[@PhilofBristol]

It does have something of an "It'll Be All Right On The Night" air about it doesn't it!!

[@dewok2706]

reality is the greatest sitcom

[@mb-3faze]

I remember it distinctly when first broadcast. I thought the volvo driver did an excellent job going off-piste to avoid a collision.

[@jimtaylor294]

The difference between reality and fiction... is that fiction has to make sense 😂

[@sid35gb]

Treacherous piece of road indeed with its dazzlingly bright sunny skies and long smooth road free from potholes that would be challenging for any British driver.

[@AbuHashemPSC]

They’re very abnormal conditions, to be fair… 🤔

[@FingerinUrDaughter]

TBF british people dont really know what "the sun" is, as its rarely seen. probably the shock of a giant burning ball in the sky that makes em crash.

[@ulsia6740]

I love how he turns around a second time because he didn't believe what he was seeing at first.

[@stephen3654]

Double take init bruv

[@jamjardj1974]

People standing on the central reservation is going to cause rubber necking😂

[@randygonzalez6250]

​@@jamjardj1974Yes I agree the crash makes sense for that reason, but it's still funny. It also reminds me of the "observer changes what he's observing by observing it" quantum physics principle.

[@jeffhussey6049]

And the eye roll… 😄

[@Roddy556]

​@jeffhussey6049 well after the second and then the third "mishap" it was just getting ridiculous 😂

[@Normee]

I've seen this clip before and only just realised the blue car was doing the right thing by swerving to avoid rear-ending a stopped car on the road

[@jefffeatherstone7785]

No, the right thing would have been to be travelling at a speed that gave them a safe stopping distance.

[@TalRohan]

daft thing is the cameras and mayor doing the interview is probably what distracted the driver and made him get too close to the car in front...the one behind must have done pretty much the same thing and but had no where to go.

[@superAweber]

Aaah, brilliant, there's a horrendous speed change, now I understand. They'd need traffic slowing measures a few miles beforehand.

[@carcrusher4x4]

He didn't swerve intentionally. The brakes were not adjusted properly and caused the car to pull to the left during the hard braking. He just got lucky.

[@LEXR6]

​@@carcrusher4x4exactly

[@greenrobot5]

When he thought the blue car driving up the grass was the bad thing to happen that day

[@FartInYourFace234]

yeah, that was the catalyst. likely nothing else would have happened if not for the blue car

[@Luke_275]

@@FartInYourFace234the blue car drove up there to avoid rear ending the other cars

[@FartInYourFace234]

@@Luke_275 yes, because they were driving distracted, and didn't hit the brakes in time.

[@richhh9000]

He was the smart one lol

[@Lappmogel]

​@@FartInYourFace234wtf are you talking about? He did everything right. He would've avoided hitting the car in front but he would've been rear ended by the second car if he stayed on the road. He saved both the car in front and behind him from a newtons cradle fender bender.

[@observer4916]

I live in the Teesside area and I swear that half the news on the car radio is "there has been a major accident on the A19, there has been another major accident on the A19, there has been yet another major accident on the A19"

[@Drinkingyoursaltytearsallah]

It's a gypsy curse

[@Picnicl]

Because people from Teesside drive around there. I say that as someone from Teesside. They have nowhere to go but they want to get there fast to impress their terrible partner.

[@FormerGovernmentHuman]

@@PicniclI love listening to Brits complain about other Brits. It’s especially entertaining when they are either complaining about their own community, the welsh, or an area they don’t like because too many fans of the opposite football club hang out there.

[@screaminggecko7660]

Sounds like the British version of LA's 'accident on the 405'. It's more newsworthy if there hasn't been one honestly

[@AmazinglyAwkward]

​​​​@@FormerGovernmentHumanBrits don't complain about "the Welsh" because Welsh people are British, as are the English, the Scots and the Northern Irish. The English complain (although it's more like we make fun of) the Welsh but the Welsh, Irish (both Northern and Southern) and Scots all complain (and make fun of) the English so it's fair 😂

[@garwynrosser8907]

Ironically, the interview became it's own hazard because drivers would be distracted by the cameras.

[@saladspinner3200]

Well, that's actually not the first time that happened.

[@herrzyklon]

I actually think that's exactly what happened!

[@matton36]

Thats exactly what happened but few seem to have noticed lol.

[@testy462]

"Let's go have a news conference in the median of a road everyone is saying is super dangerous". Lol who thought that was a good idea.

[@holimoli8802]

​@@testy462careless drivers took their eyes off the road to look at something, coincidentally the news crew and cameras, leading to the crash if what was said was the reason why. it is not the news crew fault, it is a lack of discipline in those drivers

[@loungejay8555]

The accidents in this clip were purely down to rubber-necking by the drivers, looking at the camera crew rather than paying attention to the road.

[@thebrowns5337]

Roads are much safer now people just stare at their phones

[@jimtaylor294]

^ 😂👌

[@Smartychase]

Absolutely right especially as a huge chunk of the population wouldn't have known what a camera looked like in the olden days 😂

[@irresistablejewel]

@@thebrowns5337 ...or stare at the speedometer, because speed limits may vary and 24/7 robot policing is more lucrative than fixing the roads.

[@_Just_Another_Guy]

​@@Smartychase This was the late 80's, not the 20's. Many people knew what a camera was. They were probably more curious about what a film crew is doing standing beside a highway and filming interviews.

[@kjm1059]

I'm old enough to remember seeing this on TV and for me the irony of it makes it one of the funniest news reports I've seen, it could quite easily be a sketch in numerous comedy shows at the time.

[@ifbfmto9338]

I don’t even see it as irony at all, to be honest The road itself is flat and straight It’s the idiots who DON’T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE that are the problem That accident wasn’t in ANY way due to the conditions or configuration of that road, it was 100 percent BLATANT driver error 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@stephenhumphrey7935]

​let me guess, you're American.

[@kjm1059]

@ifbfmto9338 Drivers were probably distracted by the camera crew, the irony is he is talking about road safety but no one had the sense to realise that having a TV interview at side of the road there was a risk this would happen. But you're right no excuses for the drivers not paying attention.

[@nickhirst999]

It was actually used in a very early 1990s edition of Have I got News for You when they had the 'what happened next?' round. Paul Merton got it, even correctly stating that it was a blue car! That was when HIGNFY was good. 34 years on it's a bit past its sell by date but it occasionally hits the mark. They should have Angus on as a guest presenter. That would be interesting!

[@dianem8544]

@@stephenhumphrey7935 If kjm were American, they wouldn't have seen this on TV.

[@Skaitania]

"This road isn't more dangerous than any other road in Britain" makes you worry about all the other roads in Britain.

[@JoshyHendoMan]

I love he admits with his eyes, “yah this is horrible timing.”

[@jussayinmipeece1069]

i think he was more thinking. "See its the idiot drivers"

[@francistaylor1822]

Not the news crew and interview on the road that will cause rubbernecking. yes drivers are responsible but come on@@jussayinmipeece1069

[@ETK_800]

@@jussayinmipeece1069he didn't think it had them.

[@emily1]

These idiots would’ve been very much capable of the same thing on a national road in the same circumstance. Some people just can’t drive.

[@101Volts]

He smirked for a moment, too. I guess he was trying to keeping it professional, but was still finding it a bit funny? 0:36

[@McNamee93_]

Insurance companies: "Do you have any dashcam footage of the incident?" Victim: "No, but ITN caught the whole thing on national television"

[@Sideway8]

A "dashcam" in 1988 would be a giant camera rig that replaces the entire front passenger seat

[@philippe2715]

@@Sideway8Not really. We had things like the Canonvision 8. (With the 8 standing for the 8mm tape.) Even a kid could hold those things with one hand. It would be massive compared to a modern dashcam. It would definitly block a part of you view if placed on the dashboard.

[@planescaped]

@@jmw1500Well considering the most likely cause of the accident was them watching the camera crew doing the interview and not paying attention to the road, probably not, lol.

[@jgcondron]

By "caught" you mean "caused".

[@PlazDreamweaver]

​@@jmw1500Nah, they'd come up with some bs like, "Our policy doesn't count live television as proper footage." Or "Section X lines X through X say you need to meet some arbitrary requirement we just recently added without telling you because our policy we wrote allows us to. Yes, the only reason that requirement exists is to deny paying out and to make it easier to raise premiums."

[@aquanick2001]

How he rolls his eyes 😂

[@RUBBER_BULLET]

Nnnnyesss.

[@Smedley1947]

Very British understatement method of eye rolling.

[@queenslander954]

Yea a complete tosser

[@MentalParadox]

"There goes my argument".

[@sgtpepper91]

dreamy

[@ryansupak3639]

I saw this as a kid around the time it came out, in rural Texas, where it was broadcast as part of a “funniest clips” show. It has been lodged in my core memories ever since. I think the reason it’s so memorable is the combination of the “sartorial professionalism” of the spokesman at first - not quite “snooty” but in that territory - immediately followed by a little smirk and eye-roll after the accident, showing that he’s still willing to poke fun at himself, where it’s due.

[@tsm688]

I can't remember the last time I saw a smile on TV that someone wasn't paid to do

[@TheBrutalDeluxe]

It was the eye-roll that got me.

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

This is as good as that video of the chick bragging about how good the airline operates, while the camera pans to the board where everything is delayed/canceled

[@VesproDBA]

saw that one 😊

[@thatstickanimator6602]

@@michaelgusovsky She was the head of Toronto Pearson International Airport, I believe.

[@NavigatorBR]

If anyone wants to see the clip, search "The camera pans up to show multiple flight delays at Toronto Pearson at the same time the airport's" on KZbin. Should bring back a video, credit to the CTV News camera guy on that one. It was Toronto Pearson International Airport's CEO, by the way.

[@balegda]

​@@michaelgusovsky you really do just see what you wanna dont ya

[@EATSLEEPDRIVE2002]

@@michaelgusovsky you were so eager to be a political whiner and you weren't even in the right country😂 you're very accurately representing the rest of the Trump Nazis

[@athgt6630]

Imagine driving on a road and then the car in front of you suddenly stops 'cause of traffic. What a dangerous road

[@rbdan]

these are British people we are talking about, you need a license to watch this video!

[@CursedWheelieBin]

@@rbdanI haven’t driven in other countries but the roads in Scotland are packed with mongoloids who don’t know how roundabouts work, hog the fast lane instead of moving over, and can’t park inside the lines. Oh and when the light turns green they move off one…at…a…time, instead of together 🚦 Makes me wish Putin would press the big red button and just sink us into the Atlantic 💥

[@copter2000]

​@@rbdanOui mate. You got a license for that comment?

[@SatanicHamsterThe]

Its not that its an inherently dangerous road, its just that its populated by inherently dangerous drivers.

[@SenyorCapitàCollons]

​@waltersobchak1719Yes but the guy who just went over to the grass xD

[@alangordon3283]

There are no dangerous roads . Name one road that has killed any person. The only dangerous thing is the buffoons that use the roads. Prove me wrong .

[@jonathongellibrand3632]

@waltersobchak1719 I think the vast majority of accidents are caused by failing to look far enough ahead, and travelling too close to the car in front. Stop doing that and I think there'd be a 90% plus reduction in avoidable 'accidents'

[@shootmcrunfast]

@@jonathongellibrand3632 For sure, it would also help reduce avoidable accidents if people just avoided them in the first place.

[@Jehty_]

​​@@SenyorCapitàCollonshe didn't "just went over to the grass". He was too fast, the car in front slowed down, so he slammed the brakes and lost control (or maybe deliberately drove into the grass because wouldn't have been able to stop in time)

[@clothedwiththesun]

Ah, I remember those days. The brakes in my dads car never worked so he ran a rubber hose from the fuel line next to the passenger seat. So whenever he wanted to stop I’d pinch the hose with a pair of pliers whilst he threw the car into reverse. Worked every time. But boy did I squeeze them pliers.

[@sleaf6]

That’s both hilarious and horrifying

[@portable_wall9222]

that sounds like more effort than just fixing the brakes

[@alexanderstevenson6484]

The mighty Lada 1200 estate is so bad at staying on the road it avoids accidents!

[@danieljacobson6223]

No! It contains a better driver that avoids a crash. The others are people sleeping behind their steering wheels.

[@DanteICE]

@@danieljacobson6223 your sense of humour is incredible. We only need to find it now to really discover how incredible it is!

[@anthonycraig1458]

That Lada is hilarious, I remember a school friend's mum had one back then in the same colour, it was like a tank (and not in a good way)

[@danieljacobson6223]

@@anthonycraig1458 But the driver is great!

[@mattwebb6056]

Probably driven by Maureen! 😂

[@timhinchcliffe5372]

"Hey look, I'm going to be on the telly..." * BANG! *

[@SaraMorgan-ym6ue]

Happens all the time sadly.🤣🤣🤣

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

Like that Rowan Atkinson sketch with the lamp post.

[@YeahNo]

There’s a clip that’s local to me and it has multiple rear enders from the previous one being cleared away and the next one caused by gawkers. So the “clip” is actually collection of clips from different drivers getting caught in the subsequent accidents. Completely ridiculous as it’s not dangerous area at all and takes place in maybe 50metre stretch before some lights. Just from rubberneckers.

[@British_studios566]

​@@YeahNoso uhhmm which news station recorded it? ITN?,BBC?, any british news station

[@ladypenelope99]

🤣🤣

[@caeserromero3013]

It can be incredibly hazardous to smash right up the back of stationary traffic...that's why I had my car fitted with brakes 😂

[@dpskatoo75]

they didn't have brakes then you had to push your feet though holes in the floor and hope your shoes were up to it.

[@hughofIreland]

You rich people!

[@biddyboy1570]

No ABS in those days. Needed a bit of extra attention.

[@reece005]

​@@biddyboy1570true you see people driving while on there phone texting or filming nowerdays

[@soundseeker63]

Smart choice, brakes are still not standard equipment on Audi models it would appear, thats why they are constantly tailgating whatever car happens to be in front. They should have ticked the "brakes" option box when they ordered! 😆

[@kamataros5172]

I think that was the most wonderful eyeroll I've ever seen in my life

[@foxredt2]

That blue car driver was smart and fast as hell. He knew drivers behind him would crash into the cars in front 😂

[@marksavage1108]

Did you not notice his front wheels were pointing forwards the entire time, it wasn't the driver swerving, it was the brake imbalance pulling heavily to the left that avoided the collision,

[@RoyDavidson-g7g]

Them Ladas never had brakes when they were new the driver probably pulled the handbrake most of the smoke is off the back tyres

[@JackTheripper911]

​@user-me3go4ku8z "tHeM lAdAs nEvEr hAd BraKes" ..."tHeY PrOBabLy uSEd tHe hAnD bRakE." So are you always this stupid? Or was it a special occasion this time?

[@mortimerbrewster3671]

I did wonder why the other drivers didn't veer into the grass like he did. They may have been stuck but probably wouldn't have ended up with any damage.

[@thecianinator]

​@@mortimerbrewster3671could have been understeer

[@iainballas]

As a person from Oregon, the idea of driving on several miles of clear, flat, open road is terrifying. How will I stay awake without having to dodge drivers on blind corners?

[@zhou_sei]

i saw "dodge" and "blind" and i thought you were talking about raised pickups with aftermarket headlights

[@eddiedacunha3755]

try driving on Florida highways. nothing but flat, straight, open road. a perfect lullaby.

[@Heartsii_]

I live near OR18 and 22 which are, for the most part, straight. Each have dozens of miles of double solid lines because of the sheer volume of crashes that occur during passing... and they still do it lol.

[@Txpo50]

Try driving on the interstate in north Texas…it’s flat, straight and is nothing but grass and dirt for miles

[@guzziman100]

Holding a press conference in the medium of a busy roadway. Brilliant!

[@kaygirl10101]

And one known to have an above-average accident rate. It was certainly a big-brain move.

[@jeffbeck8993]

Median.

[@Ometecuhtli]

Don't be too harsh, they just came back from their free lobotomy course.

[@zhou_sei]

but how else was he supposed to demonstrate just how not unsafe it was?

[@JoaoSilva-yh4dg]

Different times eh

[@mysteryboyee]

honestly i agree with the councilor, the road isn't the issue here, it's the people driving on it who clearly don't actually know how to drive, and should not have a license

[@GamerFlair]

Thats what I was thinking. This doesn't prove the road is dangerous, it proves the people driving on it are. That said, it does prove the barrier is needed because it stops idiots like this ending up in on coming traffic. Infact, its quite probably that them being all clustered there contributed to the crash, as people weren't focusing on the road, they were looking at the random gaggle of people and cameras in the middle of the road and realised too late that traffic was stopping.

[@teffhoward9134]

I remember watching this on the news on the day it aired. I never thought I would see it again. Thanks for posting and giving me a laugh😂

[@steakwilliams4448]

Why did anyone think it was dangerous? It's flat, it's straight. What was the big deal?

[@teffhoward9134]

​@@steakwilliams4448 I think it was when Peter Bottomley was transport secretary. He would try and convince you that if you went over 40 mph you would suffocate !!

[@soundseeker63]

The comic irony of this whole scene is pretty epic, but I especially loved the blue Lada's very early version of autonomous crash avoidance tech (severely unbalanced brakes!) 😆

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Wasn’t that Maureen from Driving School?

[@derekmcmahon5950]

Love the comment bad break imbalance

[@javelinXH992]

It’s a Teslada.

[@stephenwilliams6451]

Totally agree. Dodgy too close drivers.

[@raccoon681]

hey it worked no damage to the blue car

[@JonBowe]

That was a typical Lada reaction to heavy straight line braking, no steering wheel input needed.

[@caprimann87]

thats an AI-powered feature to prevent rear-end collisions

[@Don_Melon]

​@@HelmutHareah, yes, the good old lack of crumple zones and whiplash you get from 5mph up.

[@PneumatinisPlaktukas15]

@@Don_MelonYeah, having an accident in anything made in the 70s is a bad idea.

[@phoenixvance6642]

​@@PneumatinisPlaktukas15at least in america, if you drove your mobile shipping container into anything but another one, you wouldn't even notice

[@torstenscholz6243]

This just shows how difficult good, safe driving was before the advent of power steering, anti-lock braking system and other electronic safety programs. Especially cheap cars like Ladas were very difficult to handle and steering and braking was a nightmare. Today's drivers have no idea how lucky they are to never experience this.

[@jtidema]

At least he had the decency to roll his eyes... like "ok, you got me".

[@Kinlochbervie50]

if this wasn't uploaded by the ITN youtube account, I'd struggle to believe it wasn't a TV comedy sketch.

[@dububro]

if it were a comedy sketch, it would have just happened, they wouldn't have announced it beforehand.

[@Qwerty-g1b2o]

I legit googled if this was even a real company or not and I'm still not convinced this isn't another case of the onion

[@RegenTonnenEnte]

"Speed never killed anybody. Suddenly becoming stationary that's what gets you." -Jeremy Clarkson

[@kristinajendesen7111]

My parachute instructor said, "it's not heights that kill you it's grounds." 😁

[@bjb7587]

​@@kristinajendesen7111we would say "the sudden stop".

[@bjb7587]

Or When the people look like ants, fly. When the ants look like people, pull.

[@TheTrulyMentalShow]

Speeding definitely kills people

[@kristinajendesen7111]

@@bjb7587 Another one said, "if your parachute doesn't open, grab hold of the grass when you hit the ground. It's the second bounce that kills you." 😁

[@jebbroham1776]

The power of “speaking things into existence”. 😂

[@instantnoob]

If you are reading this comment, that means your thoughts are energetically aligned with me. You already know the truth. Your thoughts shape your reality. Since Poe's Law is a thing, let me clarify I'm not actually delusional. I'm mocking with parody by quoting a popular "influencer?" Who became a meme for looking as crazy as he sounded.

[@jm19094]

I love that his first reaction isn’t “are those people ok” but “the idiots blew my interview”…

[@whateversunpopular1338]

Reminds me of that scene in Johnny English: “Don’t worry sir, you are in the safest place in the whole of the country.” KA-BOOM 😂😂😂

[@hugoagogo9435]

Those Lada estates had terrific handling in corners. But very poor road holding on a flat straight road at low speed

[@SahilPawar95]

😂

[@pictsidhe6471]

They were awful cars.

[@fix0071]

Лада производилась до 2011года😂 без особых изменений.

[@StreetPunk161]

​@@fix0071теперь выпускаем устаревших французов начала 00-хх под оберткой новой современной машины(с двигателем от нивы 1986 года)

[@robertjenkins6132]

When you say "terrific" do you mean _terrific_ in the olden sense of _terrifying_ ?

[@neilgodfrey2669]

They Must have been on their rotary phones

[@otdosa]

Killed me

[@Redwarfa]

Ha ha really funny

[@toyotasprintertrueno86]

when i read rotary i thought of the mazda engine lmao

[@DmitryIve]

This is bloody the comment of the year!

[@NachosMuchachos]

So as someone from outside the British isles I’ve heard a lot about British humour and now I can’t determine if these were actual news or a sketch. And I love it

[@georgigobg]

One of the best moments captured by TV!

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

At least he had a sense of humour about it, you could see it in his eyes... 😂

[@affabaffa4393]

I thought this was a Top Gear skit until I realized it was real LMAO

[@wbbartlett]

ITV Director "Let's distract drivers by setting up a film unit on the actual road. Then we can make a story about how dangerous the road is when the inevitable crash happens. Genius!"

[@Schnittwin]

Him: „It is not a dangerous road. It is only dangerous when there are accidents“

[@FeelingShred]

Fred Flintstone braking technique 😂

[@PlaywithJunk]

That's what I call perfect timing! It is possible that the TV team is the cause for this accident. People get distracted easily.

[@AidanMillward]

Same when people slow down to look at an accident on the other side of a motorway. Does my head in.

[@criert135]

The drivers would still be the cause. It’s their responsibility to pay attention at all times and to be in control of the vehicle they’re driving.

[@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket]

To be fair the risk of crashes is always more likely when you're driving on the wrong side of the road. What amazes me is the british had self driving cars all the way back in the 80's. All passengers not a single driver in those cars.

[@pikadroo]

The eye roll. Just priceless! 😂

[@faisceau2904]

It looks like a Monty Python sketch 😂

[@MikeKollin]

NO rain, no hail, no snow, 100% Visibility, straight, flat paved road... Sir! That's called bad driving! 🤣🤣🤣

[@chrisfisher5345]

I think this summarises the UK wonderfully if I'm honest. People in suits telling us nothing is wrong whilst chaos and mayhem erupt around us.

[@themindeclectic9821]

I swear you people have got to be trolling

[@SS-ARYAN]

@@themindeclectic9821 Picture this, your country survived two world wars, your town constantly bombed every week, bound to lump any air raid warning with the weather forecast.

[@baintreachas]

that's pretty much every country

[@user-fh1rz1uq6c]

This is a good example of the dangers for drivers of camera teams doing interviews in the middle the road.

[@peterduxbury927]

If you had put several Bikini-Clad girls on the Central Reservation - you would have witnessed multiple crashes. The TV Team should not have been there at all.

[@LRM12o8]

@peterduxbury927 if you're not man enough to ignore a bunch of bikini-clad girls while you're barreling down the highway, you're a teenage-brained man-child who has no business behind the wheel!

[@L._Titus]

To quote Paul McCartney: “Why don’t we do it in the road.”

[@davemorris6747]

The eye roll did it for me😂😂😂

[@torstenscholz6243]

How has that not become a meme yet?

[@BoogerDeluxe22]

Oh my goodness gracious, is that a stopped vehicle on the side of the road? Fascinating.

[@derrickmoses1507]

Look at that straight ass road. No potholes no damage. Maybe everyone over there should just stick with horses.

[@mxbx307]

Brakes were absolute garbage back then. There was a similar incident in Margaret Thatcher's motorcade in 1989 when on a visit to a nuclear power station, when even marked police cars were skidding into each other after a protestor jumped out in front. This would be much less likely to happen in a modern car due to ABS and brakes just being stronger.

[@adamholmes91]

Agreed. Front disks, bias valves and abs have helped massively! Also tyre technology is heaps better today, even on budget tyres.

[@video99couk]

@@adamholmes91 All these cars will have had front disks. My 1972 Hillman Avenger came with those as standard. But ABS and tyre improvements, yes. Car tyres are generally much wider today too.

[@soundseeker63]

Tyres were about 40% smaller than the norm on modern cars too. Even medium-large family cars came on skinny tyres and small wheels lik 13'/155 section which didn't put much rubber in contact with the road. If you were to put modern wheels and tyres on an old car it would stop way quicker, but still be quite unstable and easy to lock-up.

[@type17]

@@soundseeker63 Modern tyres wouldn't perform well on these cars - while many cars in the 70's and 80's may have been a little "under-tyred", meaning there was a lot of weight on a relatively small tyre footprint, so slightly wider tyres may have helped in some cases, you have to remember that increased grip with increased tyre-width is not a linear relationship - there's an optimum weight per square inch of tyre tread, and those cars above are much lighter than modern ones (eg: Mk1 Fiesta was ~700kg, last one made was 1285kg). This means that if you put modern, too-wide wheels on an older car (eg 1980's and earlier) the grip during hard cornering and braking may be worse, as there is less force (weight) per square inch keeping the tyres pressed down on the road, so they can break free (skid) before a narrower tyre might.

[@patrickganly5206]

I was driving 15 year old and even older bangers back in 1978. It wasn't that the brakes were bad. It's that they were not yet made idiot proof like we have today. You had to understand how to lift your foot back off the pedal at the start of a skid and reapply when the tires regained grip. ABS does all that for us now and has taken a lot of fun out of driving!😅

[@thekingbradable]

I’m with him, that just looks like bad driving to me lol

[@sgordon8123]

If it had been just that one crash you might have been right. But given that people were obviously saying how dangerous it was before it happened absolutely not.

[@niklascarlsson2841]

Yeah but 3 cars in 3 seconds?

[@tsumugikotobuki0131]

@@niklascarlsson2841 Traffic suddenly slowed down, creating a ripple effect where the cars that were tailgating, had little time to stop. You can see that all the drivers also locked their brakes in panic, so an accident would've probably been avoided today with ABS.

[@julianevans9548]

tailgating

[@thekingbradable]

@@niklascarlsson2841 Wel generally one collision leads to more in any situation

[@see-rious-ley]

The perpetual eye-roll does come in handy to negate everything he’d said earlier. Thanks for the laughter!

[@reall6229]

When I first saw this I thought it was a clip from Top Gear LOL

[@kratzeni]

insane driving skill and qick thinking by the blue driver. Respect, I could probably not do that

[@TheRealDuckofDeath]

It was very likely brake failure. Or as they say in Russia, a Special Ditching Operation. Had it been on a bridge, it would have joined the Russian navy converting all of their vessels into submarines in the Black Sea.

[@artyb27]

I don't understand why everyone is giving props to the driver of the blue car? Why did they have to make that manoeuvre in the first place? Couldn't they see the slow-moving traffic up ahead in plenty of time to safely slow down?

[@computeraidedworld1148]

​@@artyb27 It's very hard to see the slow moving cars when you're looking to your right at a camera crew on the side of the road.

[@contessa.adella]

The muppets behind the wheel caused the accidents, not the road surface or layout. The coincidence however was ironic.

[@jbrown7403]

His eye roll is sooooooo good! 🤣

[@MickBx]

That silly Monty Python stuff from the 70s is still so funny! 😉Cheers from Germany 🤙

[@Flozman1982]

Prior to cars being fitted with ABS people used to have these types of accidents all the time. Ironically the blue Lada not fitted with a load sensing valve (which compensates for the lighter rear under braking) saved the driver as the car is still steerable with the rear locked up, the Datsun and the Vauxhall Carlton just locked up the front wheels which makes steering impossible.

[@8LegoVogel8]

The efficacy of Soviet engineering.

[@vooveks]

It was more difficult driving then - you had to hold a pint in one hand and a cigarette in the other, plus tune the medium wave radio, all at the same time. No wonder they had these kinds of accidents. Still, the 70s were great otherwise.

[@b8nnytez]

Don't forget the screaming, needing a nappy change kid(s) on your lap too! 😂

[@sadie376]

I remembered this clip last week & it just popped up on my feed today... Weird.

[@SumoRabbitOfDoom]

I actually remember seeing this, all those years ago! Damn, I'm old! 😮😂

[@lynhugell6563]

I lived just off the a19 and the most hazardous thing about it in those days was breaking down, leaving your car and having your wheels nicked.

[@FatLeonard84]

Love how he still has a sense of humour about him even though he's trying to be very serious

[@lordhughmungus]

That eye roll 🙄 🤣😂🤣

[@TimeMappedExplorations]

one of the funniest things ive seen this year so good

[@kostaftp]

That could be perfectly a scene from The Office 😂

[@rugbynimbus]

Dogma: He brings up a valid point. Karma: Wait for it...

[@rustynail7609]

That was awesome! Thanks for uploading.

[@iissamiam]

It was probably the distraction of a camera crew in the middle of the highway, but it’s still rather funny.

[@StrangeScaryNewEngland]

LMFAO!!! The camera was MEANT to be rolling and that interview was meant to take place at that very location at that angle, at that very moment. Absolutely perfect. The eyerolling really did me in,

[@wheedler]

What does this mean? Are you saying it's staged?

[@StrangeScaryNewEngland]

@@wheedler No. I'm saying that it happened so perfectly, that it looks like something that was staged. You cannot get any better timing than this camera crew.

[@TheWelshSportsPodcast]

This is one of my favourite videos of all time

[@ragingrhino333]

The fact he turns and looks at the accident and looks back at the camera and says “MYESSS” with that look on his face killed me.

[@geoffreylee5199]

In Parry Sound, Ontario, at about the same time, there were complaints of a dangerous interchange. The Provincial Highway Minister goes to visit the site and a multi vehicle crash occurs, like this, wheels turned immediately.

[@scottmyers10]

DOT Rep: "I will not accept that this is a highly dangerous road..." Road: "And I took that personally" LMFAO

[@mercetajs]

its not the road its the driver in most cases

[@ALBINO1D]

Did you just laugh at your own joke?

[@undeniabletruth-HIT]

This is why you leave a 2 second time gap, 4 seconds in the rain 10 seconds in snow

[@Spacemongerr]

Yes. In my country it is taught to be at least 3 seconds behind. Maybe its part of why we have the lowest fatalities in the world

[@o0Donuts0o]

We have re-evaluated mankind and determined that a 10 second gap is adequate for normal driving conditions and to stay indoors when a gentle breeze or any other extreme weather is encountered.

[@troyarrington5492]

10 seconds? Gawdam

[@ProGentleman]

I was taught 1 car length of distance from the vehicle ahead for each 10 km/h of speed on highways. Urban traffic is an entirely different game.

[@WM-gr4qi]

​@@o0Donuts0oOn behalf of mankind, we graciously accept your evaluation and will continue to drive naught seconds behind whoever we think should probably be in a lane further to the right of the one they're in, thank you.

[@sleepy-beagle]

Absolutely brilliant

[@Glenn1967ful]

The old A74 was worse as it passed through some terrain that was treacherous in winter and at night. You had to watch out for vehicles crossing the carriageway from at grade junctions, bus stops, houses next to the carriageway and weather hazards that made these factors worse.

[@raithrover1976]

The fact that the bus stops were exactly the size of a single decker leading to buses being almost stationary in the nearside lane as the entered and exited the stops was always an accident waiting to happen.

[@Glenn1967ful]

@@raithrover1976 It was a lethal road and the at grade junctions were another big hazard. as you had vehicles crossing the carriageway and joining from side roads.

[@plantfeeder6677]

Sounds like a highway to me. Cross traffic and all.

[@OnionChoppingNinja]

In the drivers defense; this was the year 1988. ABS adaptation was still in it's infancy. Many cars where all drum brakes instead of disk brakes. 3rd brake light wasn't a thing yet (regular brake lights can be mistaken for taillights and easy to miss) and there was a camera crew standing by the side of the road.

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

The 3rd brake light is called the CHMSL ("chimsel"). Center high mounted stop lamp.

[@jason2014]

A cop pulled me over once. I was about to get a ticket im sure. As he was walking to my window, a driver stared at us and crashed into a semi. The cop said to me "it's your lucky day, but not his.. you're free to go."

[@drfisheye]

Nothing wrong with drum brakes.

[@JackTheripper911]

Oh yeah excuse the shitty driver because a film crew was filming something 🤓🤓. What a clown.

[@antman5474]

ABS increases stopping distance if activated in dry conditions and disc brakes have been standard equipment since the early 70's

[@jenispizz2556]

LMAO what are those drivers DOING

[@Carewolf]

Driving straight on a sunny clear day.

[@0LoneTech]

Failing to predict the road they cannot see may be blocked. As in just past a crest on the other side of the underpass we can see. So they go from a common flow of traffic to sudden obstruction with literally nowhere to go. Now, normal signage would have instructed them to slow down in anticipation before reaching this point, but this politician is here to tell you that's not a reasonable response.

[@wheedler]

@@0LoneTech But the road they can see is blocked.

[@0LoneTech]

@@wheedler At that point they braked. Before that point, what they saw was the car ahead of them moving just as fast.

[@occamraiser]

Watching a TV crew in the middle of a dual carriageway.

[@90skidnomo]

That was either Moskwich or MK1 Leaf. No driving skills in generations for both! 😂😂😂

[@TheLeedsAppreciationSociety]

It's like the Robert Mark sketch on Not The Nine O Clock News, where he says, "I am convinced that this is a major contribution to road safety !"

[@jonmarsden1366]

I came here to say exactly that! kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHaUZniqqqZpkJo

[@SpinyBadger]

Yes, thank you! I was starting to think I was the only one who remembered that. Uncanny similarities.

[@Jackaljkljkl]

There are some pictures on the internet with 'thank you for driving carefully through our village" signs with cars upside-down next to them, lol

[@IAmSoMuchBetterThanYou]

That was a spoof on a tyre commercial. I can find the NtNOCn sketch in KZbin but I’ve never found the original until now. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXbNg4OPqcqKo8ksi=2KUA3K0ue5OdbxOD

[@jimroberts3009]

Yes just watched the clip.It's almost exactly the same. 😂😂

[@n1msu]

I owned an MGB for a year, driving at 70 on the M40 was downright dangerous. Every overtake had to be planned. No rapid lane changes or you would lose the back end. The tyres were as thick as what you'd find on a modern motorcycle though.

[@peanuts2105]

The MGB was a large log laid by British Leyand. Glad you are here to tell us the tale

[@tim3172]

@@ryszardlorenc7047 I know, right? Lots of people died, were injured, and injured/killed others, and that was a good thing! Right?

[@tompiper9276]

Basic error, driving to MGB at an unsuitable pace. It was to be seen in, not for rapid transit. You could get the same engine in the Marina, which was actually quicker.

[@marksavage1108]

@@tompiper9276 the marina engine was only 1800 and 2.0 litre, it also had the straight 6 2.5 litre in the MGA and the MGB GT V8 at 3.0 litres, once you weighed the back end down they were much more stable at speed. .

[@NoReply28]

Everything look so simple and clean? It like so perfect looking... Like a child play set or something... Idk, it just seem so peaceful for some reason. Even the crashes were kinda chill. Like that brightly blue car safely rolling onto that nice smooth green hill... And the gentle love taps from all the other car that look so similar to each other on that straight road. Like they took this out of a child imagination while they were playing with toy cars or something.

[@albertjr7928]

it was less violent cuz the cars were slower and crumpled less, mixed with the fact the old camera gives it an "antique" look, and no retarded fake screaming "omg!!!" reactions from people you have nowadays, it's really not magic you know, nothing special, simple explanation

[@thomasmount7388]

I'll smoke what you're smoking. I don't come to the comments for poetry, but when I find it, it is appreciated, ty

[@philiphyatt2056]

his face xD 'oh brother u gotta be kidding me'

[@Banana_Split_Cream_Buns]

But he's right though isn't he? Nothing dangerous about the road but the terrible drivers.

[@Class158]

Love how the camera zooms out so as not to miss anything. 😂😂😂

[@sammykewlguy]

It’s an amusingly ironic moment for sure. The real question is why did that accident event happen? Was the road slick? Looks totally fine but clearly looks deceive

[@orionone8633]

all distracted by the tv probably

[@sharpskilz]

no ABS back then

[@sie4431]

Bad drivers. They were probably not concentrating on driving and got distracted by the people standing on the central reservation, a pretty stupid place to stand honestly.

[@joinedupjon]

@@sie4431 yeah and there's a perfectly good bridge right there

[@lumpyfishgravy]

Rubbernecking. The Lada driver was distracted by the camera crowd.

[@edmundkockenlocker4672]

Every time I watch this, I can't help laughing. One of my favourites. Like the '80s cars as well.

[@levif7910]

I know it too well, had a crash there myself on the way out of haysbury in 1989. Terrible visibility on the way down the hill in the evenings

[@ryanjohnson4565]

Were you using your headlights? Hills are notorious for low visibility in the evenings without lights shining on them. Specifically on the way down them.