Viewers Mistakes #6 | Look A Little Further

[@ashley_neal]

Get PIA VPN now with 86% off + 4 extra months free - only by using my link PIAVPN.com/AshleyNeal

[@L-8]

VPNs aren't completely useless, but just so people know, the content of your internet transmissions on public WiFi, such as your banking information, is already impenetrably encrypted without a VPN. The padlock icon in your browser signifies this.

[@Bond2025]

VPNs are rented Proxy Servers in datacentres. They don't protect people, not even from illegal activity. Most people do not need one and there is no protection or security from using one. It's quite easy to set up a fake access point and still see all your data, even if you think a VPN protects you.

[@K.Pilkington]

​@@L-8VPNs have a lot more benefits than just connecting to public WiFi.

[@copperfield3629]

So what happened to your previous sponsor Nord VPN which you endorsed so enthusiastically before? Did you have a problem with it, or did they just elect to discontinue their sponsorship of your posts? You've ignored this obvious question previously, will you address it?

[@yerunski]

I also use PIA VPN. Although not that often. For some people there might even be a better (free) solution. Host your own VPN server at home. For example, my internet router supports Wireguard. So where ever I go in the world, I'm always safely connected to my home. Needless to say hosting your own VPN server at home is only useful when you're away from home. Nice video again Ashley, since I began watching your channel I did change my driving style a bit. For the better. 🙂

[@Species1571]

I would never even attempt to overtake someone inside a retail park unless they were absolutely stopped.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Yeah utter madness but there's a lot of it about.

[@mikewade777]

Even when stopped there's still risk... A queue of stopped vehicles held up by a car reversing out of a parking space near the store entrance, and a young child running out from behind a stopped Range rover to catch up with her family, right into my path.

[@ChrisBrown-px1oy]

@@mikewade777 Absolutely. It's a car park; flow is not the first priority.

[@mikewade777]

@@ChrisBrown-px1oy flow does not have to be a priority, but is required in order to function

[@ChrisBrown-px1oy]

@@mikewade777 As are the freedoms to stop, with all due observations, to park a vehicle safely, to return to it on foot, and to use it entirely as a foot or cycle route if that shortens the journey. My bugbear about this clip is that "due observations" increasingly have to mean anticipating car drivers charging through as though it's an urban clearway.

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

The speed of the Nissan driver in the last clip..... a real bug-bear of mine is people driving too fast in carparks.

[@goodyeoman4534]

Yep, they don't give a toss about the risk to pedestrians, do they?

[@15bit62]

Same. Impatience in a car park is a sure route to an accident. I would never overtake a slow moving car in a car park like that.

[@ElonFlump]

Yeah. Definitely an F

[@PedroConejo1939]

Yep. 'F' from me. Car park speed limits need enforcing. It's the worst possible place to be speeding.

[@OkenWS]

Everyone is always in a rush in that car park. Bristol is an angry place and I have seen few angrier places than a Bristolian car park. It's a weird city. Some people are lovely and chatty to you, then you get in cars and every other person seems to have reckless disregard for the privilege of driving a 1-3 ton missile around squishy pink things. 🙄

[@JohnnieE1961]

It's better to go round a roundabout a second time than to spend months chasing up insurance claims.

[@hlwhhlwh2351]

Correct, we have done it several times, I had to do it this Tuesday past, a brand new roundabout and my satnav, on an unfamiliar route was telling me second left and my husband yelling in my ear I needed the first, so round I went and next morning put my satnav on to my laptop and ran update.

[@WindyJAMiller]

been there, done that, go around its a lot easier!

[@thomaselliot2257]

Having to go round the roundabout twice is one the mistakes I make at unfamiliar roundabouts most if the time . Thanks for giving that an A . Will tell any passenger that the next time they criticise my handling of roundabouts 👍

[@dannyboy2585]

I always tell them that they can either walk or accept my driving when they start to pipe up. That usually stops them going on about my "bad" driving

[@Bullwinkle39]

You can also tell them some passengers consider it a free amusement ride 👍

[@ChrisBrown-px1oy]

Having a passenger only adds another reason to suck up a missed exit and go round again.

[@kenbrown2808]

meanwhile, in a recent US clip, a driver made a u turn via a roundabout, by turning the wrong direction entering the roundabout and waiting until traffic stopped to turn into the exit of the road they had entered from.

[@brianfunt2619]

Can't imagine why anyone would criticise you for going round a roundabout after missing your exit

[@Pystro]

The clip at 8:25 would have caught me out too. The red car puts on the turn lights about 0.5 seconds _after_ I would have concluded "ah okay, they aren't going to take this gap, then."

[@Torauth]

100% Agreed, there's no indication of any attempt to change lanes until almost 2/3 of the gap is gone.

[@PalladinPoker]

It would be more forward thinking to pass that car in lane 3, it gives it more space for a potential overtake and makes what happened impossible. On a two lane section that would have caught out anybody though.

[@RichO1701e]

I would have moved to lane 3 knowing they were going to move out, I wouldn't have waited for an indicator. It's called anticipation.

[@chrisclarke8451]

Caught you out lol, So obvious that they would pull out to overtake the slow vehicle at some point after following so close

[@plugus_maximus]

The corsa was slow close for so long I assumed it was towed

[@DasArab]

8:24 to be fair to your viewer that red car was that hard up the backside of that trailer that I assumed it was one of those cars being towed, like you see behind large Campervans doing. I was as surprised to see it pull out that late as your viewer.

[@bloodyliar]

The retail park clip.... amazes me the drivers obsessed with getting as close to the store entrance as possible. That's where all the good You Tube clips come from. Avoid these people and have a longer walk, park away in space. No 'door-dings', no drivers squabbling over the space next to the door and enjoy some excercise.... its a win-win

[@groundcontrolto]

Yeah, I wouldn't have been trying to park in the busiest bit of the carpark in the first place. And with a car behind me I would have been ready to abandon or wait for them to pass.

[@cactusbase3088]

What makes me laugh more is when they park as close to an entrance as possible for a place like a country park or a National Trust property where you know they are then going to go for a long walk. What is the matter with these people? It seems to be hardwired into their brains in the same way as their mentality of always trying to get ahead of a vehicle in front (especially if it has 'L' plates on).

[@groundcontrolto]

@@cactusbase3088 I find it especially funny at my gym. Individuals park their cars in the family spaces right by the entrance to save a few extra steps before their workout.

[@Graham_Langley]

Here at the local Sainsbury's (Burpham) it leads to the majority of vehicles taking the first side turning off the road in, where of course there's always someone coming out as they can't be bothered to go the long way round and as the turn in is a bit tight everyone behind is held up until it's sorted. I too park as far from the store entrance as I can, never downhill from a trolley corral and if possible where I'm only vulnerable on one side.

[@Graham_Langley]

@@groundcontrolto Probably for the same reason police vehicles always park in the Pick Up zone outside the store while they grab some more snacks.

[@steve3291]

I was under the impression that Audis have priority irrespective of road markings, traffic signals or other vehicles.

[@stevenrix7024]

Even over other Audis!

[@ElonFlump]

Let me guess, you drive a Skoda? And you love to tell people about how fantastic it is?😂🥹🙄

[@colinrimmer789]

AUDI = Another Useless Driver Inside 😂 (only joking)

[@JT-qg4ol]

​@@ElonFlump Let me guess, you drive an Audi? And you love to defend how badly you drive it? 😂🥹🙄

[@johndd9140]

Ashley giving a D was way too generous - the driver is simply a danger to us all 🤕

[@Dudleymiddleton]

Being a HGV driver I see it every day on the roads - it seems that a vast majority of drivers follow far too closely - lorries too, they're doing 55+ mph literally four foot from each other sometimes. cars and vans 70-80 mph+ scarily close, all it needs is a brake check to cause mayhem!

[@goodyeoman4534]

On the second clip, it's so awkward in those situations. If you notice the cars on the roundabout are coming to a stop there, and hold back, you'll instantly get aggressive drivers beep you from behind, and drivers from the right drive into the space anyway. I had this exact situation last week: I held back, as it wasn't safe to enter the roundabout. A white van behind me immediately went into a huff and overtook me (dangerously) and entered the roundabout, instantly finding himself stuck in across the two lanes and precariously exposed to traffic whizzing round from the right. But he saved himself 0.7 seconds so he probably saw that as a massive victory.

[@CptCactus-11-20-6]

On the subject of speeding when overtaking. I've had numerous incidents when overtaking that the other vehicle has begun to speed up as I've got level with it. So, I've ended up accelerating more to get past. I hadn't been able to abandon the overtake due to the cars that were behind me, having now moved into the space that I previously occupied.

[@f-godz3342]

You need a faster car, my friend 🤘

[@15bit62]

I hate it when that happens. Sometimes it is my own fault for mis-reading the road and not anticipating the speedup, but often it is the other car speeding up, i suspect often because they have not been concentrating and realise they are not going at the speed limit when you start overtaking.

[@MrTbirkett]

Racing when overtaking is bloody annoying and vehicles closing up the gap before you've completed an overtake is poor roadcraft. I'm often a bit conflicted on breaking the speed limit to execute an overtake. On one hand you want to get it done, on the other... Overtakes must be safe, legal and worthwhile. If you speed, it's not legal. If you had to speed to get in before an upcoming hazard or because there were other vehicles in front you hadn't seen, then it wasn't safe. If you had to speed to get past a vehicle at or near the speed limit, it wasn't worthwhile. If the Police (I think the UK still has them) decide to have a chat about speeding when overtaking, the speeding prosecution is probably the least problematic one. They'll likely try for dangerous driving, or at the least careless driving.

[@andyo1737]

I find its very common for drivers to think they need to be about 2 metres behind your rear bumper before making an overtake. Doing this risks triggering the driver in front and communicating what you're about to do. Furthermore it just makes overtaking harder because when you are level you are only going the same speed as the car in front. Better to leave a gap, by the time you are alongside you're going much faster.

[@CptCactus-11-20-6]

@15bit62 Yup, that is my thoughts. They were distracted and probably dislike being overtaken, at the same time!

[@Melondoge]

Definitely gets the award for most scenic sponsor segment this one!

[@frogsplorer]

A cunning plan to get us to actually watch the ads. The youtube ads, VPN ads, dash cam ads -and channel membership all add up. The quality of the content keeps me watching

[@n116gtr]

(The overtaking clip) It looked like the Toyota minivan was playing a dangerous game of mobile road-block to prevent the overtake. I've seen this happen about 4 times this year. People say to themselves, "He's not overtaking on this bit of road," and drive like mad max to prevent it.

[@johnpsheridan]

agreed, there's loads of space to his left.

[@TheScaper28]

@@johnpsheridan Yeah exactly, the road is narrow but you can fit 2 cars down it with ease, just the mini van decides to block the overtake. Also have no issue with light speeding on an overtake to reduce time during the overtake.

[@smilerbob]

That second clip highlights the need to look at everything on the roundabout not just to the right. It also highlights an important lesson to not accelerate hard into a gap…if you are unable to accelerate normally without causing issues then the gap is too small to get into 👍

[@MrTbirkett]

Riding a motorbike, you soon learn that the biggest risk is generally approaching from your left on a roundabout. It's a little worrying to hear a skid, ABS clicking or the load in a van shifting just as you pass a vehicle that you're sure must have seen you.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Yep, accelerating hard onto roundabouts is a bad and all-too-common habit. It's a primary way to find trouble.

[@kenbrown2808]

my wife frequently gives me stress for being conservative about waiting for a wider gap so I don't have to accelerate as aggressively to clear it. ironically, she also gives me stress when I accelerate aggressively.

[@ianmason.]

To misquote a well know saying "Enter a roundabout in haste, repent at leisure".

[@Rroff2]

I don't think the driver from their position had anything like as good view of the Audi as the dashcam position does in that clip.

[@frogsplorer]

At the risk of stating the obvious if you get stuck behind a slow moving lorry like the Corsa at 8:10 you need to drop back to give yourself acceleration room in the left lane. You wait for a gap, start to accelerate and change lane at closer to the speed of that lane. Driver still should have spotted the danger. Another thing I sometimes see is electric cars slip streaming lorries to maximise range - not everyone wants to pull out

[@PedroConejo1939]

The bleeding obvious doesn't occur to a lot of people.

[@R04drunner1]

100% correct on both counts. Also, dropping back gives you better visibility past the large vehicle to more easily see upcoming hazards that would otherwise be masked from your view.

[@RichO1701e]

Plenty of ICE vehicles slipstream lorries, not just EV cars.

[@cjmillsnun]

I'm an EV driver myself, and being too close to a lorry is stupid, yes when I'm low on range I'll slow down, often to 56, but I'll leave a safe gap to the lorry. I get the range from slowing down, the aero effect from the lorry isn't worth it at slow speed, and anything on the road is slow speed. That said, more often than not nowadays, I don't get that low on range. Most newer EVs actually have a decent range and even on my commute (120-160 miles per round trip depending on the route I take) I'm well within the range of the vehicle, even in winter.

[@15bit62]

Breaking the speed limit when overtaking: It's a tricky grey area - To overtake safely without breaking the speed limit, the vehicle you are overtaking must be a long way below the limit or the straight section of road must be very long. So in practical terms, if you won't overtake without breaking the limit then you are going to be limited to stay behind vehicles which are down to even 15mph under the limit and thus gathering a long tail of cars behind. Personally i do break the limit. And i do it based on a risk evaluation - to overtake without breaking the limit often extends the overtaking time considerably, and thus increases the risk. Also, here in more northern scandinavia we get a lot of trucks, have a lot of hills, and don't have a lot of dual carriageway sections. The trucks will go up hills at maybe 20-30mph, but speed up on the flat (and straight) sections to the speed limit. That leads to long queues behind and a real slow down in traffic flow, but makes it impossible to mitigate it without breaking the limit when you overtake.

[@olii9062]

I find also if you don't really use the most of your cars acceleration, people will often floor it themselves to attempt to block your overtake, especially if overtaking multiple vehicles. That's why I always use 2nd gear.

[@Gerishnakov]

​@@olii9062Surely in that situation, the answer is to not rise to it and abort the overtake? Why add to the danger by trying to compete?

[@jonathanlawson5717]

Passed my test first time yesterday and I attribute a big part of it to this and a few other driving instructors channels. Your style of predictive driving allowed me to avoid what might've been a serious when a car pulled out of a junction without re-checking right (on a bloody national speed limit country road where they were pulling into a straight!). The examiner even commented on me handling it well after the test. I still have a lot to learn but once I've recovered financially from the insurance companies raiding my bank account I will be picking up a dash cam. 😆

[@ashley_neal]

Congratulations Jonathan! Thanks for your support.👊

[@margaretnicol3423]

Well done! 🏆

[@bloodyliar]

These channels - and Ashley is probably the best - would have taken a few years of my 'actually learning to drive' after passing my test. Here's to many happy motoring years ahead

[@dbracer]

"Predictive driving" is probably the best description of the techniques used by Ashley I've seen. Thumbs up from me.

[@susiejones3634]

Well done! 👍

[@shaun__3]

You can anticipate the red Corsa all you want, the Corsa is an F, G, H or whatever you want. They are the people who cause collisions. Following a slow vehicle by less than a car length on a motorway, and indicated as they were turning their steering wheel into danger as they didn't look. You can approach it slower all you want, but you have to pass it at some point, and the Corsa could have pullled out at any point - they weren't looking in their mirrors.

[@champman99]

I had an incident almost identical to the first one happen to me just after I passed my test 15 years ago, including the swerve onto wide verge to avoid collision. A good learning experience (given no damage and noone hurt) to look further ahead and leave more following distance. Really appreciate the content to keep us all improving.

[@poitynine]

Got tailgated by a police van last week, he had the audacity to tell me after he pulled me over for no reason he’s had advanced training so he could stop in time. He was so close I couldn’t even see anything behind me. Must’ve hurt his ego when I put my hand out the window telling him to back off. Didn’t even give me anything after he demanded I get out the car and that he could seize my vehicle. Didn’t even ask for my drivers license, name or any other information like they normally do when I’ve been pulled over before.

[@eddier9455]

He was trying to push you over the limit.

[@Gerishnakov]

They're a law unto themselves. Literally.

[@dexterhawkins]

5.12 I like the road markings on the roundabout at the exits to encourage drivers not to cut in at the last moment.

[@jonrellim]

I do dozens of reverse parking daily and have come to learn that it's best to be signalling to the direction of the space and holding next to it, waiting for others to pass. Unless you are sure others have understood what you're about to do and have stopped, then I go ahead.

[@PauldeVrieze]

What I learned in the Netherlands is that this (a.o.) is a special manoeuvre and as such any and all traffic has priority. If in any doubt stop the car and wait for it to resolve.

[@raymondbenjamins5884]

Exactly what I do as well. Signal, stop in front of the space (which will also stop others from 'stealing' that space) and only once all other traffic is gone or stopped start manoeuvring.

[@Y3M37H]

Yes and also there is no need for the driver to swing out into the oncoming just to reverse into the spot. They teach you reversing into a side road from a main road and you never swing out you start 90 degrees and slowly reverse following the kerb, of course after checking your mirrors. The camera car should have stuck to those taught principles that way even if someone overtakes they have plenty of room to do so while you carefully reverse 90 degrees into the spot while checking 360 degrees.

[@FlavourlessLife]

@@Y3M37H The turning circle of most cars won't allow you to 90-degree reverse park into a tight space in one maneuver, unless you're already in the middle of the road. Reversing around a corner is much wider than the curve you're likely to take when parking. Turning into oncoming traffic first is fine, provided you do the correct observations.

[@jonrellim]

@@Y3M37H if you put your car straight first your nose will reach over the oncoming lane when reversing anyway, so I'd say practically it doesn't matter if you swing your nose to the right first.

[@keithdenton8386]

@ 7:50 it was clear in my mind the driver of camper van deliberately moved over to stop the overtake. If someone wants to overtake me I give them all the room I can. No point in being part of an accident.

[@shm5547]

no point in creating a collision (it looked deliberate to me, would not have been an accident)

[@Fordnan]

The second video is a classic example of the worst driving actually not ending up being the one 'punished', if that's the right word. I've been in very similar situations to the cammer myself, hands up. But as Ashley says, busy roundabouts kind of require that powerful entry.

[@stevenrix7024]

“Never had an accident myself, but I’ve seen a few in my rear view mirror…”

[@JamesTait]

That roundabout is the Toyota roundabout, the A38/A50 junction. It was resurfaced a few years ago and the lanes repainted, and now they don't quite seem to follow around the roundabout properly. As a local I know what to expect, but for people unfamiliar I can imagine it's confusing.

[@JamesTait]

Actually just realised the clip I was referring to is the third 1:50 - second after the intro. Oops! 😂

[@ItsDredj]

If you can't see a vans wing mirrors you are too close, and they can't see you either.

[@andyw386]

Notice how little time it took to go around the roundabout again. And it makes the journey a bit less stressful, or could even potentially avoid a collision too. I think a lot of drivers could benefit from doing that.

[@PedroConejo1939]

It also means the inevitable awkward sod who would try to stop you exiting is now in front, where you can keep an eye on them.

[@marklittler784]

And to jump traffic queues 😅🤸😄🤸🤸

[@williamstrachan]

In that specific clip - obviously not something to rely on, nor could it be seen ahead of time - the viewer possibly avoided having to pull over to let a fire engine past in the other direction, which is always a bit iffy with how other drivers are reacting 😅

[@PedroConejo1939]

@@marklittler784 I do that. It does break up the unending stream of traffic that's causing the queue in the first place, so it's also helping out a little.

[@christaylor751]

As a cyclist (and driver) on rural B roads, I now often get a given a wide berth by car drivers mindful of the need to not close pass me, however a lot of them seem to do so into the path of oncoming traffic...

[@Mihai.Marinescu]

7:51: "The other driver is unaware and moves across..." Nope sorry! The other driver is aware and moves to block the overtake. Why? That's between him and whatever haunts him.

[@cjmillsnun]

No. The road narrows and to allow the overtake, the other driver would have to stop.

[@shm5547]

yep, 100% a deliberate block, absolutely stupid manoeuvre

[@TheGrinningSkull]

For the retail park, I would do what you mentioned, line up on the left, stop, wait for all vehicles nearby to pass, then swerve out to reverse in. If there’s a big gap to a vehicle behind, then I’d start my manoeuvre

[@OkenWS]

That last clip from Abbeywood Retail Park in Filton... that car park is a death trap, essentially nowhere for pedestrians to go safely, and being just off the ring road (perhaps that's why, anyway) the amount of drivers in a crazy rush is ridiculous. Have to expect the unexpected there and take things slow. Frankly, few people in Filton can drive (I know, I live here...)

[@thomaselliot2257]

You may have said that before, but I have just cottoned on that the grading is about risk and not blame. I'll remember that the next time.

[@WazeemA]

Last clip, I think the cam car may have in fact put on a left signal and assumed that the driver behind would understand he was going to do a 45 degree reverse park. Think in these situations it may actually be better to give a right signal and slowly just start the right turn and then stop, reverse gear and left signal. The right signal should caution the driver behind against overtaking and unless you move way too far to the right they wouldn't be trying to pass on your left. The best situation is obviously to wait till it's clear completely but that may not be possible at peak times.

[@johnkeepin7527]

If you use indicators at all. Once one has turned across to the right around 45 °, nothing behind would be able to see an LH one. Both lanes are blocked, so they can’t pass at all then. Of course, it depends a bit on the width of the lanes in the car park.

[@redtela]

The overtake in Wales (7:10 ish)... is just down the road from me, and as I'm going through RoSPA (bike) , I actually asked the question about breaking speed limits (briefly) to get an overtake done. I was told "if someone is doing 10mph or more under the speed limit, the overtake MIGHT be on... 5mph or so under the limit, and you'd have to take the P with speed to get past them safely, so it's not on. If you do a proper 3 stage overtake, make sure there's nothing to decline an otherwise available overtake, and then hit the gas hard... maybe you go over the speed limit by 10mph - so there's about a 20mph difference between you and the vehicle you're overtaking... absolutely no issue. However, two things to consider. One, if there's a cop sitting there with a speed gun, you're getting a ticket - and you failed to judge the overtake properly because you didn't see him, so you deserve a ticket for it. Two, how much might that 20mph difference affect the driver you're overtaking? What is their reaction going to be to other bikers? Again, no issue with doing it, but definitely some things to think about before you commit." Now, since I know the road...45mph for the first car overtaken... matrix signs tell you that the locals know there's an issue with speeding on that section of the A494. Good forward vision, no reason to reject that overtake, even though we've just passed a sign warning of a junction. Local knowledge tells me the overtake can be done before we get to that junction. 12mph over the speed limit, not an issue. Second overtake, 3rd of June, was a Saturday, and if the camera clock is accurate, it's 5pm. The school sign simply isn't an issue. Again, applying local knowledge, I know that is a sleepy little village, no risk of a football game etc at the school. However, the junctions, the fact that the road narrows, and we're doing 67mph and far too close to the MPV? This is a problem. Bus stop isn't a factor (again, I happen to know the bus timetable for the area). The MPV driver, there was absolutely no reason to drift over the white line there. That was a clear "slow down" blocking attempt.

[@RichO1701e]

Yeah, I had the same conversation with North Yorkshire's finest plod last year doing a BikeSafe course. If you choose to exceed the limit and get caught, it's on you.

[@peterjeremymckenzie8444]

The bus trip on the T3 is a gem. Often drive the A494 myself and this pinch point often catches people out because they can see several hundred metres along a straight stretch. Strangely as fast as they drive you catch up with them in Bala.

[@Tom-2221]

I do love a trip around a roundabout when I've made a lane choice/navigational mishap 😂 The overtake - the first one was fine I think, it's always hard to resist the temptation to accelerate quickly and complete as fast as possible, so I can forgive the slight speeding. I wouldn't have gone for the second one personally with the upcoming junction and other hazards, but perhaps pressure got the better of the driver. I have seen that happen more when someone is overtaking multiple vehicles. Although it was nice to see them move back to the left and reassess before diving into the second. It's a shame others may consider a toot of the horn as aggressive, it would have been a great way to get the leading vehicle's attention before going for it.

[@Dudleymiddleton]

On some motorways - M11 for example have sections that have those chevron arrows painted on the surface with signs suggesting keep two arrows apart - sometimes I see three cars in the space of two of those arrows pelting along!

[@jackhawkins7285]

I think this was missed at 10:00 The cam car was indicating left as he was going to reverse into the spot (you can see the flashing from the light on the ground), this is why the car behind overtook (i’m not defending this decision but it makes more sense when you take this into account) both drivers at fault as cam car indicated left then pulled out to the right

[@digitaurus]

Agreed. Made the same comment myself before I saw yours.

[@Batters56]

1:27 Looking at the length of queue behind the Audi it’s clearly one of those where due to the flow of traffic on the roundabout they hardly get any opportunities to enter correctly and should technically just sit there all day. What’s your recommendation for if you find yourself in this situation Ashley?

[@Birkguitars]

The "speeding when overtaking" question has a clear legal answer but a more complex real life one. My bugbear is the Cumbria stretch of the A66 which I use frequently. It is national speed limit for the majority of its length but we frequently get cars travelling at 40 to 45 mph whether thrpugh ignorance lack of care or because they have a vehicle which struggles uphill. I have followed vehicles such as mobile cranes at below 30mph at times. Overtaking opportunities between Workington and Penrith are limited but they do exist. My approach is to get through any overtaking manoeuvre as quickly as possible to minimise the period of time I and those around me are at risk. So do I break the speed limit? I couldn't possibly say...... And for those saying that the delays are only a few minutes I respond; what if when you are out walking someone randomly and repeatedly blocks your path forwards backwards and sideways for five minutes effectively imprisoning you. But only for five minutes. What does five minutes matter? I would be willing to bet most people would get pretty terse even on the first occasion but if it happened every time it would not take long before terse would become angry and angry might become violent. Even if it is only five minutes. It's not the loss of time that is the problem. It is the surrender of personal autonomy. My house is 37 miles from Penrith and allowing for passing lanes and dual carriageway about 30 miles is wiggley rolling single carriageway. At 60mph that takes 30 minutes. At 45mph it takes 40 minutes. If I were commuting as others do that would be 10 minutes each way, 20 minutes a day, 100 minutes a week or around 4500 minutes per working year and that is over three days stuck behind people who either don't know the speed limit or don't care about being a rolling road block. You get my point. I only overtake when it is safe to do so but I overtake as quickly as I can to minimise danger. And to save myself five minutes per journey.

[@PedroConejo1939]

That's how I picked up my only ever speeding ticket, so I no longer do it.

[@FlavourlessLife]

My experience with these people on country roads is that It's usually old people doddering along completely oblivious to their surroundings. National speed limit?... they do 42-47 mph. 30 mph zone?... they do 42-47 mph.

[@K.Pilkington]

With the last clip im guessing the viewer did stick a left signal on when they seen the spot they wanted to park in. Thats why the car behind decided to overtake. The trouble is they were indicated left but turning right so they could reverse into it.

[@Andy_ATB]

Yes, as most people expect you to just drive into a space.....and not reverse.

[@sakram1370]

8:04 I often have similar issues to this, for some distance you can see a vehicle just sat behind a lorry or a slow moving vehicile, they don't overtake when they have ample opportunities to do so and you assume they are happy to be sat there, then at the last minute something wakes them up and they decide to pull out. Then i have it where if i can, i'll move into lane 3 as a precaution and they just sit trundling along behind what is in front of them and some idiot will fly up in lane 2.

[@cyclingSausage]

I always keep plenty of distance from the vehicles in front when I'm driving. I don't see anyone else keeping a sensible distance, it's madness!

[@PedroConejo1939]

From my back garden I can see a busy A road at NSL. There's a big direction sign I can use as a reference point, and just watching how many drivers do not maintain a 2-second gap - wet or dry - is shocking, what's worse is the number who are less than 1 second behind the vehicle in front, even in the wet.

[@54356776]

It's frustrating especially on motorways when you leave a sensible gap and people just move into that gap. It feels like you're going backwards.

[@Figureight]

7:19 when I was learning to drive, my instructor told me that overtaking going above the speed limit was fine if i was to then slow back down afterwards. I don't think that's legal though, but it is something I've done before as to me getting the overtake done quicker to get back in feels safer to me than being pinned to a speed limit and being sat out in the oncoming lane longer than needed.

[@Figureight]

9:55 I'd have put a left signal on as well, but what I quite like is the way it's done in Japan. They put their hazards on at this point to indicate they are going to be doing something in that space, which lets people hang back so they can park up.

[@PedroConejo1939]

I think a lot of drivers get caught out by the speed difference when approaching cyclists, meaning they catch up far quicker than they are anticipating. It can be better to slow right down and start the pass from a lower speed rather than end up having all the speed and nowhere to go. My only ever speeding ticket (I took the course) was for passing a vehicle at 69 mph in a 60 mph limit. Hands up, won't do it again. Predictably, the vehicle I was overtaking sped up but the law is the law. In Spain we were given up to 10 km/h over limit during overtaking, which I think is fair, given that you'll get properly clobbered if you do get caught exceeding that or any other limit - always look for unmarked cars parked next to the road where the limit decreases, a favourite trick of the Guardia Civil Tráfico. The problem is a vehicle driving at 40-50 when you can't pass then speeding up when you can pass. All that said, I'm not sure that the van moving over the line in that clip was accidental. Some drivers get narky at being overtaken and that might be what happened there. Speeding and overtaking in car parks are cardinal offences in my opinion. The viewer could have mitigated that better but let's be honest, the offender there was the person who will one day put a child over their bonnet. I know it's not about blame but the way that driver acted was unconscionable but a common occurrence.

[@ibs5080]

Your Mexico trip looks a wonderful area Ash. I was almost expecting a subscriber to come up to you on the beach and say "Ah, Ashley Neal. There you are, I've been looking for you everywhere. Now about this business of the merge in turn..." :)

[@Jacobi111]

I love your content, Ashley. Consistent calm and clear advice. Nicely edited videos and lots of learning points. For example a few months ago you said to see both trucks' headlights before merging into its lane. Thanks and keep making content as long as you find value in it

[@tin2001]

Im in Australia... so breaking the speed limit to overtake is the only safe way to do it. When you're passing road trains that are up to 36.5m long, you really need to get past quickly and back to the correct side of the road.

[@jaymakesvideo]

I had something similar in the retail park where I could see someone who was positioned out to my right from behind and was catching, like he was going to overtake me. I put my right indicator on and slowed down to a stop. The vehicle that was going to overtake saw my right indicator and stopped as well. I then carried on with my turn and my day.

[@Haggisking]

7:52 - while I wouldn't have overtaken there, the Toyota very obviously moved out to block the overtake, you can see from the video that the road is nowhere near that narrow

[@kenbrown2808]

in the collision at the junction, the viewer apparently assumed the honda was going to make the turn at an unsafe speed, and quite obviously weren't looking in the most important direction as they started the emerge: ahead.

[@angel22893]

On a roundabout, in the left lane, taking the second exit - I always indicate right to tell other road uses what I’m doing.

[@johnthebomb06]

7:48 Looked like the silver minivan deliberately blocked the cammer from doing the overtake.

[@inncubus666]

When I was driving the minibus for clubs at Uni the magic roundabout theme (hummed by the passengers) became almost my theme tune-always going places I didn't know and getting somewhat variable quality instructions; just seemed better to go around again rather than get lost or try to dive in. Well before Sat Nav was a common thing, often relying on non-drivers, often with a bit too much to drink in them too.

[@edj4833]

First clip, lines of vehicles tailgating each other. It must be honestly one of the leading causes of accidents, anecdotally speaking most the accidents I've seen are a result of this. It's absolutely right that legally speaking there is a focus on speeding, but what about police getting out and fining vehicles driving too closely?

[@TheCircuitWizard]

I remember a few months ago following a car for 4 miles in a 30 limit. It was sitting about 4ft from the car ahead of it and I swear she must have tapped her brakes about 85 times! I didn't have to use mine once as I maintained a 2-3 second gap. Baffles me how people drive like that, it's so much effort!

[@Jonc25]

A little reflection goes a long way to rectification.

[@R04drunner1]

Well said!

[@JustOneQuestion]

9:48 - Yep 100% agree, would have sat there with left signal on to see whether the car behind was going to let me do the reverse or not.

[@cordite7207]

Whilst it is very rare and more often than not backing off and being patient is the right thing to do, more speed or acceleration than you should, to make sure you clear a danger or give yourself time to overtake safely is the correct call. But doing it in impatience as you are entering a built up area or across junctions/on corners is asking for nothing but trouble

[@james-5560]

The grey van just casually drifting over the white line and no awareness/mirror checks should have been graded a D.

[@williamfence566]

Always park well away from a store entrance and hopefully with a space either side or next to a well kept other vehicle . Easy reverse and less chance of car park dings

[@5688gamble]

My mistake was trying to overtake a bus at a red light thinking it was a bus stop and stranding myself in the on-coming lane on an unfamiliar Main Street, if you aren't absolutely certain, dont do it! That was a long and embarassing reverse and a whole lot of lost progress. I was sweating quite a bit reversing that distance up a narrow Main street till I could find a side street, was a delicate process with so many people and other hazards around and the embarrassment factor was high! Certainly a good lesson on maing assumptios, cosider all possibilities before commiting, certainly do not expect people behind to anticipate you getting stranded and hold a gap for you. lol.

[@Ksportin]

The last clip reminds me about one of the greatest issues I have with newer vehicles: they seem to now be making them with such high sensitivity for the automatic indicator cancelling that in the process of reverse parking into a bay (like in the final clip) the indictator will cancel itself the moment you start moving the front of the car out to begin your manoeuvre and if you restart it, it will immediately cancel it again. I want my indicator to be on until at least I am reversing over the line into the bay and to do so am flicking the indicator on a good 3 or 4 times or having to hold the damn thing in place (which makes a nasty sounding noise when it tries to cancel).

[@InstaSim6]

I think the clip at 5:20 is a very good showcase that we, as humans make mistakes, and that's ok. It's not the mistake that's important, it's how you deal with it I've done it myself a few times when I was a novice driver, if I missed my exit or were in the wrong lane, I'll just go round the roundabout again. There's no harm in doing it and it's better than causing a collision or road agro The clip at the end in the car park, whilst I agree the cammer car could have communicated better, the silver car could have and should have waited until it was safe to pass. Impatience just gets you nowhere, and I think that's a pretty good summing up of the car who overtakes 2 cars. Personally I don't think overtaking someone doing ~50mph in what I suspect is a National Speed Limit road is necessarily worth it anyway, but it seems everyone just wants to travel at a single speed everywhere instead of driving at a reasonable speed that's consistent with the road conditions

Hi Ashley, ran into problem last weekend, and I was wondering what would be your take on it: I was in Manchester, waiting on a T junction (approaching from the side road into main road waiting behind give way line) to turn right into the main road, I was looking left and right to move off as the left side had a bit of blind curve and parked cars and was quite busy. When I found my opening, I started creeping out still looking left and right and right at the last moment noticed a car had reversed out from the opposite end of the road from a curb parked position. It was a busy intersection so I didn’t have time to think and I just apologised and moved on since the other driving was giving me “the look”. While I’m glad I was able to move away without any incident, I’m still contemplating, what I could have done differently, and who would have been responsible in case of an accident.

[@joeytje50]

3:38 totally agree with the D for the viewer, but the car that got hit definitely also deserves a C or less. They were cutting the corner way too much there.

[@marklittler784]

Yeah if you approach side junctions more slowly giving a signal it gives others a chance to get out often making your turn less complicated and more efficient

[@kamo7293]

something my instructor did a lot with me was breaking this habit, I would look at the bonnet of the car and nowhere far enough and he gave me tips and tricks for me to look in the distance and to anticipate any potential hazard. as is always the case people forget a lot after passing the test, and should take it personally to regain and improve those skills

[@devlinrawlings3322]

6:09 a bad driver never misses their exit

[@tomneedham3431]

Clip 3 is the Toyota Roundabout which spans over the top of the A50 and A38 and I know this area very well. I agree with the analysis that the two cars emerging from the Services/Willington turn off thought that the viewer was going to take the services exit, however the way the roundabout is set up is complicated and can confuse many people who haven't used it. It is set up as a spiral-a-bout. The sign posting does tell you to get into the left most lane for exiting the roundabout towards A38 (S) just after the A38 (N) Entrance and A50(E) exit. Signs are one thing but the lack of good road markings (especially on the corner) and the fact that the speed limit on the roundabout is 40mph simply don't help. It does appear that the driver is exceeding the 40mph speed limit but first hand experience tells me they were probably touching the 40mph mark (though I know dashcams distort speed a lot). That corner is simply too tight to be able to take at 40mph comfortably and stay in lane. The lorry blocking the view definitely didn't help and I know from first hand experience that trying to get out of the Services during rush hour can take a little while. Cars exiting the A50 and flying around to go A38(S) can test the patience while you're sat there. The final thing that caused the two cars to emerge was the fact that the car in front of the viewer did actually take the exit towards the services and Willington.

[@KXXULADavidOC]

Love the way you give ratings on these videos, the last clip id have probably just parked somewhere else or pulled in with the indicator and waited for the car to pass, retail carparks are some of the worst places its amazing how many people seem to lack all concentration when in them and fail to look around them before maneuvering.

[@malccraven5276]

In the final clip, I hope I would have followed Ashley's advice. Had the car been a bit further back I might have considered setting my car out wider initially to occupy both lanes but also have a left signal on to identify my intentions for the parking space. With the viewer who exceeded the speed limit on the overtake; Many years ago a police officer friend commented that he would not be interested in persuing a speeding offence in this type of situation providing that a) the overtake was performed safely with adequate space and b) the vehicle returns to obeying the limit once they're past. The example he gave at the time though was a vehicle travelling at 30 in a 40 limit and the overtaker accelerating to 50. His reasoning was that the period of most risk was while the 2 vehicles were side by side so reducing the time spent in that position was the safest option. Times and advice may well have changed in the years between that conversation and now though

[@KendalSmithy]

I'm always surprised by the time it takes to go round a roundabout again; you feel as thought you've done it three times!

[@eurosonly]

It looks to me like that mini van blocked the viewer from passing. Notice how they went back into their lane afterwards?

[@bullah56]

The problem I find with retail parks are drivers, driving too close to the car in front. This doesn't give you room or time to reverse into a bay. Even if you signal your intensions and stop, the car behind just stops behind you not leaving any room. Sometimes I think we need (not only signals) but a red flag as well.

[@fishsauce7497]

That’s what the issue with exiting in left lane is. When lane change happens near the exit which is before the destined one, it often confuses the vehicles which are observing, that the person is taking the left exit rather than coming through.

[@NickAskew]

Many years ago I had a similar situation to the one at the start of the video. I was in the car at the back of the queue and noticed a lorry approaching at speed from behind. I pulled as far to the left as I could and the lorry braked and swerved onto the verge. He eventually stopped a good car length ahead of me. It made me realise that could have been my last day had he not had room to swerve.

[@susanwestern6434]

Probably on his mobile.

[@ibs5080]

At around 7:50, I simply would not have bothered with or even considered overtaking there. Having said that, I have to wonder why the people carrier i front veered across to the right...just as our cammer was about to overtake. Were they trying to prevent the overtake, not concentrating or just got a bit "shy" with the left hand side of the road?

[@christopherlowdon9900]

Re: speeding at 7:10 - I used to be an ADI, and my Supervising Examiner addressed this issue in a public meeting once. I remember he said, "It is never acceptable to speed. It is never acceptable to break the speed limit to overtake. If your journey mattered that much to you, you would have started earlier". He also said something like, "Some claim that sometimes speeding is the safest thing to do. Maybe, but only if your driving and planning is so poor that you have got yourself into a bad situation in the first place".

[@horrortackleharry]

TBH in that first clip I thought the following distance was OK-ish; I timed it at about 2 seconds. But either the cammer was distracted/fatigued or their brakes need a full service immediately.

[@BlazeFirereign]

2 seconds is meant to be the minimum in ideal conditions, and "conditions" go beyond the weather. On a single carriageway, at single carrigeway speeds, behind a larger vehicle that completely blocks forward visibility, that gap needs to grow, because you won't have any advance warning of the hazard that will cause the problem. For many people, if they're not actively watching and prepared to react to a developing hazard, then it will easily take over a second to * mentally register that there's a problem, * determine that an emergency stop is required, * move foot onto brake pedal and push it to the floor. Even with a 2 second following distance, that's not going to be long enough for many vehicles to safely stop at 50+mph with >1 second reaction time. It's obviously different if you're anticipating a hazard and ready to stop - and that's why gaps need to grow when forward visibility is restricted.

[@kamo7293]

clip 2... that roundabout looks familiar 2seconds later: 66 bus 😂😂 this is my area. and yes the "Loughton" roundabout as our family calls it gets quite busy in the rush times

[@madmick9205]

Funny thing really. I bought a front and rear dash cam for several reasons. 1, a few idiots on the road. 2, seeing to much on KZbin. I was watching Asley's vids too. I thought I'd be sending him loads of clips. Thing is, nope, nothing to really send him. Over that time I've noticed that my driving has slowed down, I'm reading the story and backing off, I have learned a lot from Ashley's video's I'm aware that I'm on my own dash cam so drive with that in mind too. I hardly have an issue at all now. I therefore have to conclude that most of the prior issues were caused mostly by my driving! Ouch!

[@sillybait1329]

I always go round a roundabout if I miss my exit and also carry on if I miss a turn on a straight road and find somewhere safe to turn round, unlike the vast majority who just cut up other traffic in either scenario

[@MrJonboy]

In the last clip (car park), I think the viewer was probably signaling left to go in the space so the other car (wrongly) assumed they were going to stop and then just reverse in, the overtake was wild anyway but i don't think they expected the viewer to swing right out to go in that space (essentially indicating left and turning right), the viewer could probably have just stopped in the left lane and easily made the reverse into the bay without swinging right out but that's not to excuse the overtake. I think the viewer was partially in the wrong as well though by just swinging out without looking but the other car was in too much of a hurry and took a huge risk.

[@bestintheworld568]

I’m not sure what it is about supermarkets or retail parks, but I find that many people that go into the vicinity of one turn into dribbling buffoons who can’t look where they’re going or acknowledge other people exist. They’re usually otherwise normal, sensible people too!

[@StefanVeenstra]

First clip the driver hardly moved until more than half the distance was already gone. Goes to show how quick you can close a gap between observing and reacting. I was taught to keep a 2 second distance, however using the metric system it's easy to make it 3.6 seconds by keeping as much distance in meters as the km/h on the speedometer. Gives a little more time and ease of mind to deal with the situation. Really like the roundabout clip, the extra lap isn't taking much of your time and allows everyone to go about smoothly without startling others with erratic manoeuvres. Also, there was a fire truck emerging towards the end of that clip, you can let them past just as easily by doing another lap, whereas exiting the roundabout might impede the emergency vehicle needing to go that same way. (Of course many UK roundabouts seem to have double lanes, ours rarely do, so there's less room for exits but the laps are tighter.)

[@humphreychiu]

1st clip: the vans in front of cammer stopped without veering off, the cammer had reasonable distance and had to veer off to left tells me either cammer reaction was worse than the vans in front or cammer didn’t put in the required braking force. Roundabout twice: very good. This is what everyone should do if they cant make an exit Car park: I am suspecting cammer signaled left and the impatient car behind then decided to promptly overtake, not expecting cammer to take a big right turn before reversing. Cammer was terrible for not looking at mirror.

[@hamshackleton]

That last clip - I'd have stopped in front of the chosen space, with my hazards on, while I watched what the car behind was going to do.

[@clickrick]

And then be amused as they see you at the last minute, park within inches of your rear bumper, sound their horn and wave their arms frantically, telling you to get out of their way because they're in a hurry. And clearly a far more important person than you.

[@hamshackleton]

@@clickrick especially if they are driving an Audi, Beemer or Merc!

[@mandolinic]

There's one roundabout in Bristol where the queues routinely make filtering into the left lane so difficult that I often stay in the right lane and go all the way round.

[@ibs5080]

At around 9:50 with the incident in the car park, totally agree that in view of the fast approaching car behind, I would have put a left signal on and pulled in on the left to let the car behind pass first and once all clear, only then done my reverse bay parking. However, not condoning the incredibly impatient car park overtake by the car behind either. That was pretty risky on several counts, especially when you also consider it was right by one of the car parks roadway junctions on the right.

[@ViktorParkhomets]

that was funny to see a familiar Dorset roundabout in a clip where he goes another full circle. I drive there once in a while. Great compilation, as usual

[@sumorabbit]

Re: the last clip (Abbeywood, Bristol) - that exact thing has happened to me several times in that car park! Something about the lay out seems to make people lose their patience easily...

[@telemachus53]

9:09: The driver reversing obviously did not look in the mirror to see if he would be impeding cars behind him. On the other hand the passing driver was going way too fast for a parking lot and is obviously in a hurry.

[@RichardWinskill]

I say the same thing every time you have a roundabout fail: if you miss your exit... just go round again; there's literally no reason for all the clips of people barging across and causing problems.

[@someblokeontheinternet]

I've had a similar supermarket problem as the last clip. I pulled towards right with left signal on with the intention of forward parking into space - and car comes racing up behind me and through the narrowing gap. Luckily I saw it coming and stopped, but it was still very close. I think too many people learn to drive on GTA before having lessons.

[@awild10]

5:18 I grew up round the corner and from the instant the sat nav told them to go towards Gravel Hill I knew they were in the wrong lane. People often make that mistake because it looks to the uninitiated as if you are going round to your right but really it is the equivalent of going straight on as opposed to heading right towards Canford Heath. Fair play to the viewer for doing a lap. I got the impression it was a large vehicle so I suspect merging would have been quite difficult and involve barging rather than merging.

[@TheEulerID]

On that first clip there is absolutely no way that you can pass judgement on any vehicle other than the cammer and the van he/she was following. Given how suddenly the van braked, then the driver may have been too close, or might just not have been paying attention. Beyond, that there are a number of vehicles, none of which hit any of the others and we can't possibly know how close they were to each other. Condemning them is going far beyond the evidence we have; it's just speculation. Also, close or not, the other vehicles did stop in time. The cammer did not, and you have hit the back of the van at a fair speed without that verge to the side. That's far worse than any of the others. Also, he didn't seem to react very quickly as it was some time before the vehicle stated slowing. Incidentally, one of my pet hates in supermarket car parks and the like is impatience. Most particularly, it's when I'm clearly half emerged from reversing from a car space and an oncoming vehicle appears at speed, and rather than wait they continue behind my (reversing) vehicle. Yes, you still have to monitor that sort of stuff, but swerving out to pass already half reversed from a parking space is stupid. It's often the case that you are quite unsighted in such circumstances, especially somebody has parked a huge SUV next to your car. Before anybody comments, yes, I normally reverse in, but that's not an option when there are bags full of shopping to be loaded in the rear. nb. I am one of those who will briefly break the speed limit where it makes overtaking safer. The vast majority of the danger comes from being on the wrong side of the road, and I want to keep that exposure down.

[@frankhooper7871]

I would _not_ exceed the speed limit to overtake. If thats necessary, then the vehicle in front must be travelling at or near the limit and there's no reason to overtake.

[@brantnuttall]

3:28 f in the chat for that one. lol

[@nigeats65]

@1:30 the mistake was on the roundabout caused by the Nissan type Qashqai letting the Audi in by stopping in its 'track'on the roundabout by letting the Audi in much like many main carriageway drivers do when they slip down on 70 mph plus roads to let in vehicles on the slip roads.

[@richardtyler6405]

The South Derbyshire roundabouts are very poorly set out and I often take lane two at roundabouts - about 60% of traffic are long distance traffic!

[@SomeGuyCalledJ]

The red corsa looked like it was part of the tow. They had 2 sufficient gaps and only pulled out as the viewer was already closing the second. Total fail, but I think the viewer read the road as well as possible.

[@lathamdave]

Hi, @6:00 you are discussing the error of being in the wrong lane, what's your advice for being in the wrong lane when you wanted to go further round (mis understood road markings or sat nav)

[@RichO1701e]

Keep going round until you figure it out. Or run out of fuel. Depends on your intelligence level.

[@cjmillsnun]

If you're in a lane to exit but want to go further around, exit the roundabout. Find somewhere safe to turn around and head back to the roundabout.