Viewers Mistakes Episode 5 | Downgraded!

[@ashley_neal]

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[@TestGearJunkie.]

It helped when I checked out the car I bought last month, thanks for the link 👍

[@fredashay]

I don't understand why your viewer stopped and waited in the intersection in the first clip. Was he/she concerned about that truck coming the other way? And why did he back up, almost hitting the car behind him? There was plenty of room for the truck to pass at that point. And what did you mean by "scrambled for the wrong gear"? Is that some British-ism that we Americans don't use?

[@idavidmcclune]

Hi Ashley, I used Car Vertical and it had incorrect data. Fortunately I used a competitor service which had the correct data. How do I know which one was correct? I spent 3 days chasing around to find the finance company who were able to tell me exactly what the situation was. Car Vertical data was nearly 6 months out of date. I complained and got fobbed off with stupid excuses and no refund.

[@Haggisking]

@@fredashay Scrambled for the wrong gear = paniced and fumbled the gearstick (most cars are manual transmission over here). He didn't back up - he rolled back, either due to being in neutral, or not engaging the clutch before coming off the brakes. Not sure why though - as you say, there was plenty of space for the truck, my guess is (as Ash pointed out), new driver panicing.

[@PhysicsNerd-gl1gm]

The puddle at the end was quite concerning especially at night, nothing that could have been done by the driver but is something that should looked into by Highway maintenance or the local council to check the drainage.

[@DemiGod..]

The highway code says something about being able to brake isnthe distance you can see to be clear, that only applies to advanced drivers though as there is nothing your average road user can do as can't be expected to predict surface water in heavy rain or obstacles in the road due to bad weather. As an average road user, he can't be expected to be situationally aware either and know what the best plan of action was such as braking or changing lane.

[@JohnR31415]

@@DemiGod..and remember that “I can’t see an an obstruction” is now the police approved interpretation of “see to be clear”. (/s, but only slightly)

[@TheGiff7]

I disagree. An average motorist is totally capable of reading the road and its conditions and drive accordingly. This is what you are tested on when applying for your license and is pretty much the basic level of driving.

[@mjudec]

​@@TheGiff7I suspect demigod was being sarcastic...

[@PedroConejo1939]

The problem is that standing water can be exceptionally difficult to see at night on wet roads. Most drivers will hit something like that over their career and you just have to react calmly and hope it doesn't do too much damage.

[@Matthew-bu7fg]

6:08 - the reverser's very fortunate to get a D. That was suicidal for no reason. I love how you not only analyse the clips but make wider points to improve us viewers' driving skill. Much appreciated!

[@howyanowski171]

Agree, definitely a fail! Manoeuvre totally unnecessary.

[@RumbleDelta]

I can't for the life of me figure out what would have to possess me to fire backwards into a main road like that. They should have done a three-point or something.

[@shm5547]

9:42 the "HI ASHLEY" in the camera overlay is a nice touch! 😆 Maybe they tempted fate!

[@howyanowski171]

😂

[@robg521]

6:12.. Only a D 😳 for reversing out into a main road and almost causing an accident. I suppose the only good to say is that they were doing it slowly.🤔

[@CraigNiel]

I have to hold my hands up to Ashley as I accidentally went through a red light the other day, never have I done that in the 20 years I've been driving and I was and am still mortified. I was driving my sister back from the Dentist and chatting away and glanced at the light (50mph road) and seen green but it was for the lane turning right not straight on and mine was red. My sister said "The light's red!" just as I was hitting the white line so nothing I could do and luckily the traffic turning right (crossing my path and with priority) was a HGV that took a long time to get going. I'm absolutely mortified at that stupid mistake, so silly to make but I gave myself a right bollocking!

[@TestGearJunkie.]

Back before I retired, I worked for a bus company. One of my driving colleagues with 40+ years service got reported by a member of the public for going through a red pelican crossing light just as they stepped off the kerb. He was dismissed instantly when the manager reviewed the on-bus CCTV footage. I really felt sorry for him, as normally he was an excellent driver, my personal opinion was that it was a momentary lapse of judgement. I felt rather sad for a while after that, as I was the CCTV operator who was tasked with retrieving the footage, but it shows how anyone can get caught out. Take care, people...

[@smilerbob]

Same with me a couple of weeks ago. Approached a roundabout from a different direction to usual and ended up in the wrong lane so while I was checking to make sure it was clear to move I completely missed the red light in front of me. Luckily it was only a second but that is all it can take sometimes and I am still hanging my head in shame with an “Ashley ‘F’” sign being held

[@whichwasher2007]

Think we've all accidently misread green lights for other road uses. That van though was going through that red regardless.

[@Drewski28622]

Lol don’t stress it happens

[@Jasper_4444]

@@TestGearJunkie.Wow, that's really bad being dismissed for ONE mistake. I don't think that dismissal would have been legal in my country.

[@ianmason.]

Props to all the viewers sending in clips knowing that they'd made a mess of things. One should learn from one's mistakes, but it's even better to learn from someone else's mistakes before you make them yourself, so thank you all.

[@adampoultney8737]

9:20 I drove along this road often. There is so much joining, merging and diverging that you have to be so alert- even more so than normal driving- to navigate it in any level of traffic. You also have a very short distance to get into the cord to lane in some places. For example there is a place where 2 lanes (from the A453) join the existing 2 lanes (A52), and the road very quickly diverges for the A52 (left two lanes) and A453 (right two lanes). I will be coming into that bit from the A52 (ie the existing road which is being joined) which becomes the right two lanes which will diverge to the A453, but I want to continue on the A52 so have to move to the left two lanes, while a lot of the traffic joining from the A453 want to continue on the A453 so need to move right. More than once I’ve just ended up going down the A453 to a roundabout, turning around and joining again.

[@davedoohan2732]

Yes, that stretch is tricky but it’s not a patch on the Derby end of the A52, especially approaching Pentagon Island or Spondon heading into Nottingham where the gaps are shorter and the crossover more extreme.

[@ibs5080]

At around 5:30, I totally agree with you that many people drive too fast on these types of narrow roads. It also doesn't help that in most cases these roads are NSL 60 mph, which is slower than many temporary speed limits on motorways. And if you do drive at a sensible speed on those narrow roads, it won't be long before you get bullied by someone behind who feels you should be driving faster.

[@smilerbob]

Drive to the speed of the conditions not the limit of the road - as long as you keep under the limit of course! If there is someone close harassing like that I tend to take 15-20% off my speed so if I do need to slow I can do it more gradually witgout risk of being hit at the back. 95% of the time they think I’m doing it to antagonise so they back off but the remaining 5% just get closer either oblivious to the road they are on or steam coming out of the ears as they are already 3 hours late for where they need to be. Ho-hum…I’m keeping myself safe 👍 Hope all is good in Kent today. Bit overcast up here making it humid but a welcome breeze every now and then

[@ibs5080]

@@smilerbob Just about to mow the lawns and have lunch but will get back to you.

[@peterthompson9854]

@@ibs5080 Tailgaters/bullies. Something occurred to me a while back that's made these incidents a lot more relaxing to me. You have complete control of a tailgater. They can not make any decisions that you don't allow them to make. How can they possibly be bullying you when they are giving up that sort of autonomy? No need to be intimidated.

[@keith6400]

In some areas you can see a very long way down a straight single track road and then when you get to bends cannot see ahead to any extent. So choosing to drive at a speed you can see to be clear is as always the thing to do but you must remember that stopping distance will be at least double that on two way roads with both of you needing to stop. You can never get bullied by drivers behind driving faster as there are passing places. Remember these are for letting vehicles past whether they are oncoming or "overtaking" coming from behind as you let them pass in either case. A lot of people forget that they are for "overtaking" as well as passing oncoming vehicles.

[@nigelcox1451]

3:15 If we wait for the amber light, then make a decision, it'll always be too late. That causes quick reactions, without enough thought. We can anticipate lights better. A green light can only get worse, so don't wait for the inevitible. On approach, allow the speed to gently fall. Not too slow, as for each road there will be a threshold below which following traffic will get annoyed. As you approach, keep assessing, and considering the question, "can I stop?" The answer will initially be yes, but at some time, it will change to 'no'. That of course will depend on approach speed, following traffic, road conditions, distance, etc. But once the decision becomes 'no', if the light changes to amber, don't flinch, you've already made the decision. If the answer is still 'yes' when it changes, stop smoothly and safely. Sounds easy, gets better with practice. Add to the assessment, how long has it been green, who else (pedestians, other traffic) has triggered a request, how long have they been there. This will help anticipate when it is likely to change.

[@zeberto1986]

Ive had that puddle issue before. Its horrible getting caught out like that. Also props to the driver admitting they caused the near miss by indicating early. Like the cammer I like to indicate at a reasonable time but junctions like that are a bit of a pain as you dont get much time to signal your intent to turn.

[@smilerbob]

Agreed and I would be inclined to start slowing and turn without a signal at those types of junctions. It might upset the vehicle behind but they can hopefully understand why once they go passed the junction. Saves any confusion with people that assume a left signal is for the junction they are waiting at 👍

[@Bullwinkle39]

I'd wait until I'm Infront of the emerging vehicle and then indicate, it might not be much warning of intent but it's better than none and if the car behind can't react to it then they're probably too close

[@peterthompson9854]

I've heard puddle issues increase with age!

[@ChrisBrown-px1oy]

@@peterthompson9854 Lol I can confirm it!

[@zeberto1986]

@@Bullwinkle39 thats all any of us can do. Its not perfect but at least it removes any ambiguity regarding which turn youre taking.

[@dashcamarmagh]

as a novice driver (passed one month ago to the day) I will fully admit i am nowhere near a great driver. But these videos and your others are really helping me thanks ash

[@RichO1701e]

Good drivers keep learning.

[@bestintheworld568]

I’ve had the puddle one before. Horrible, dreary evening in winter, went over a deep pothole that was filled with water and wasn’t visible to me on the high street. Completely knackered my front offside wheel and tyre. I parked up in a nearby car park to see FOUR other people who did the same thing just before me!

[@yorkshirethegreat]

I'm loving the "rating" videos. Plenty to learn from all road users. Great work Ashley!

[@PedroConejo1939]

I would just say that the lane change to the left at 9:01 was over longer road markings. There's a reason why these are placed on the road around sliproads - it indicates increased risk. Crossing them should be done with great care. Personally, I avoid crossing them until they return to the shorter markings.

[@johnkeepin7527]

In the DfT Traffic Signs Manual chapter 5 they are called “Warning Lines”, with various diagrams explain their use. Longer lines and shorter gaps, in effect - either 4m and 2m gaps, or 6 and 3 depending on max speed. As you say, they are used to indicate increased risk - typically on the approach to any traffic lights or roundabouts etc.

[@RichO1701e]

Precisely. You either get in to the lane early or once you've passed the slip road. Cammer wasn't planning ahead

[@robg521]

9:35. Yep a D, bang on. Actually causing a problem where one didn’t exist before they started.

[@joncurtis199]

8:50 timing of signals is everything!

[@RichO1701e]

3:40 - The RELIEF on the biker's face when he realised how close he came to rear ending the other learner! 🤣🤣 Absolutely relatable, at least he's been practicing his emergency stops, well done for not panic braking and washing out the front wheel!

[@chrispop99]

All motorcycles over 125cc made since 2017 have to be fitted with ABS. That may well be what saved the rider here.

[@MartinBarker]

@@chrispop99 ABS is not actually that much safer on a bike, ABS just prevent a wheel being locked up the problem is if it locked up for a second the back end can have moved and it unlocking is pointing you in a new direction against the front wheel and is going to throw the weight of the bike off and make it much harder to control, it's much better to not activate the ABS and knowing your front to back braking ratio and applying it correctly.

[@chrispop99]

@@MartinBarker This rider was a learner. Even if ABS only saved him by a metre, it was worthwhile.

[@ianmason.]

@@chrispop99 L plate implies = 50cc produced on or after Jan 2017 to have either ABS or a combined braking system, for > 125cc it MUST be ABS.

[@laceandwhisky]

Learner or not he gets a G as he will be dead soon if he don't wake up and give more gap😊

[@Ciorram1]

@7:23 If that was my driveway and I had to emerge onto that road I'd deffinently want something to assist like a viewport in the fence maybe or a mirror that I could use to check the blind spot.

[@WestfieldFreshAir]

So many great examples for drivers to learn from. All drivers should have to watch a series of these every few years.

[@shm5547]

For the puddle at the end, there were a few ways to avoid it: 1. Be a lane hog. Well, not really, but if there's nobody behind, then when the weather's like this, I would have been in lane 2 as you can see there is a significant camber to the road, so the safest position would be the outer most lane where pooling water is less likely. 2. Don't use full beam! The driver seem to have full beam on, even with oncoming traffic. It may have been a matrix or laser headlamp, but even so, it encourages you to go faster and can reflect badly off the wet road. 3. Use Waze! Making sure that you have the hazard warning announcements turned on. Quite often, another Waze user will have gone past this danger and reported it in the app. I tend to use it now for all but the shortest of journey's, not for the navigation, but for the warnings. 4. Don't assume the depth of standing water and slow right down. Having said all that, you can't account for the other idiots sometimes. I came across this exact situation many years ago. I was driving slowly, saw the water, put my hazards on and gently slowed right down. Only to have an idiot driving at speed overtake through it, lose control, swerve into my lane and rear end me just as I'd safely exited the other side. They also tried to do a runner, as their car was not taxed/MOT/insured and was registered as scrapped with the DVLA. Police were not interested, had to claim on my own insurance.

[@ibs5080]

The clip at around 7:56 with the white van and cam car both moving to the same lane from different starting points. Although we don't see it in the video, I'm wondering if the white van signalled their lane change. If not, this might have taken the cam car by surprise and contributed to this situation, though you should always be on the lookout for others changing lanes without signalling. Being on guard for this situation has helped me many times on multi lane motorways where for example I've wanted to change from Lane 1 to 2 at the same time a car in Lane 3 also wants to change to Lane 2.

[@peterthompson9854]

The cammer was in front of the white van, so I feel the van driver should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for this.

[@keith6400]

I am not saying this was the situation in the video, however where a lane divides into two lanes a driver in the original single lane does not change lanes by selecting either of the two new lanes. A driver moving into the nearer new lane from a lane which does not divide is changing lanes and therefore must give priority to other traffic. The road markings should be clear for this situation. This is not indicated by markings in the video but implied by destination signs and therefore not clear.

[@ibs5080]

At around 9:20, lessons learn: CAM CAR: 1. Get in lane before this type of situation can occur, in order to establish an early presence in your lane 2. If #1 wasn't possible, then get clear of a junction such as this first and change lanes after a potential path conflict with an emerging car EMERGING CAR: 1. Take great care not to emerge into the path of a vehicle that may change into what you think will remain a free "emerge" lane 2. Emerge by initially creeping forward slowly. In this way, any vehicle on the main road gets a sense that you are about to emerge. Plus, due to your slow creep forward, you can stop easily if this situation arises. 3. Emerging car could have at least used part of what is admittedly a very short and quickly narrowing acceleration lane. At least better thsn nothing. FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES: 1. Build proper length acceleration (and deceleration) lanes on dual carriageways 2. If # 1 not possible, have the lane lines between Lanes 1 & 2 go to a solid line on the approach to this type of junction, so that traffic on the main carriageway can't legally change lanes in the way the cam car did. What I mean is, a double white line between Lanes 1& 2. Solid line to prevent Lane change from 2 to 1 but dotted line allowing lane change from 1 to 2. Once past the junction, revert back to single regular dotted lane line markings.

[@alastairward2774]

7:10 generous to the Kia driver, whatever the gesture was it looked like it took both hands off the steering wheel just as the car had two wheels on the very edge of the tarmac.

[@MrBragle]

and closed down the space in a merging that the cammer needed to take, should have been an F!

[@Alex_Vir]

0:00 "I'm stuck" (stalling out) 1:06 advertiser call out 1:16 intro 1:23 too nice 2:17 pedestrian running on the road 2:58 hard brake 4:01 advertisement proper 5:12 near head on 5:34 near reverse T-bone 6:16 close pass on a lorry 7:23 near T-bone 7:43 beeeeeeep (nearly snuggled up) 8:22 early signals 8:54 merging problems 9:39 plish plash

[@ibs5080]

That last clip with the puddle. It really depends on whether the viewer is familiar with this stretch of road or if it's an area they are not familiar with. In my experience, flood water tends to accumulate in exactly the same places due to heavy rain and " Local Knowledge" regarding this plays a huge part. Another technique in wet conditions is to have other vehicles a good distance in front of you and let them "discover" the flood water for you in advance. This technique is also useful for general night time driving. I realise of course it's not always possible and there may be times where you have no other traffic ahead of you, in which case, keeping your speed down and fully expecting flood water can help. Incidentally this type of situation is one reason why I change my tyres when they get to around 3 mm of tread, as opposed to the Uk legal minimum of 1.6 mm across three quarters of the tyres' width

[@kenbrown2808]

you know, I've noticed that puddles tend to always happen in the same places, rather then being in different places every time. I'm also keeping an eye on the tires on my wife's car. I'm anticipating changing them when the rainy season starts, but they should get us through the dry season.

[@douglas8707]

Also simply paying attention to the cat's eyes and other reflections. The puddle becomes quite obvious from both the disappearing cat's eyes and the extended reflections of the signs ahead.

[@ChrisBrown-px1oy]

All good points. Just a reservation on local knowledge and surface water flooding, however: expect it where it has happened before and around watercourse crossings, but anticipate it anywhere. Climate change is not really the remit of this channel, but I hear more often now that a month's rainfall has fallen in a matter of hours in a small area. Logically, there are going to be puddles forming in unprecedented places. Heed weather forecasts and knock off speed for very wet road surfaces and darkness on unlit roads.

[@suznet]

3:50 the rider should get an F for improper clothing 😂

[@ianmason.]

The jeans are the only let down. Compared to the delivery riders on scooters around my way he is impeccably dressed for the road. Each one I see riding with no gloves, shorts and a T shirt I want to stop and slap some sense into, maybe show them some uncensored photos of the injuries on people who have fallen off at 'just' 30 mph.

[@jeremypnet]

I did the puddle thing when I was 18 in my dad’s car with three other teenagers as passengers. Fortunately, no damage but the passengers were very quiet after that.

[@RichO1701e]

Why 18yr olds should be banned from carrying passengers and nit allowed triple digit bhp. Car licences should be similar to motorcycle licences

[@ed_j_webb]

Love the "HI ASHLEY" on the last dash cam!

[@picklestheswift]

That one at the end was scary, hitting that at 57 mph. I would have never been able to save that!

[@laceandwhisky]

Go do a day at a skid pan school great fun not your car but they teach you to cope with slides.

[@picklestheswift]

@@laceandwhisky After I passed I did tell my instructor that I'd go do doughnuts in my car!!! She didn't approve

[@Sol_VI]

I think the best part about some of these mistakes is that they could happen to any of us, at the wrong time or the wrong place. Definitely some exceptions, but other ones just make you feel better about making similar mistakes at a point.

[@ibs5080]

The clip at around 1:36, totally agree with the analysis. I sense the cam car driver is a courteous and considerate driver. They were good enough to leave the side road to the left clear in briefly queueing traffic and they wanted to "be nice" to the pedestrians and kudos for that. However problems can occur if you are "being nice" to one category of road user whilst you are in a position where you don't have full priority yourself.

[@MartinParnham]

I know that street very well and while I appreciate the traffic calming measures, I think this kind of thing is bound to happen. Also, drivers like that one in the mini do tend to go too fast through those chicanes in order to just try and "plough through." There's a 4-way junction with a set of lights further up too (Stafford planners love signals...) so they may have also been trying to beat the lights.

[@ianmason.]

The situation has been set up to happen by the traffic calming. Note the dropped curbs and bollards that make it an obvious crossing place for pedestrians. I'll have a safe bet that the traffic planners never even considered the effect of a polite driver and inverted priority happening there. Offhand I can't think of a structural fix, but I'll bet there is one if enough thought is applied to it.

[@kenbrown2808]

for the last clip, remember; as high as the water is splashing outside, it is also splashing inside the engine compartment. as hard as the engineers work to make the air intake reject water, it can still be overwhelmed.

[@smilerbob]

Great analysis as always there Ashley I have been caught out in similar to the last clip and luckily for me the only damage was a couple of broken bumper clips. I have also had a black ice patch on a bend at night with a vehicle in front also hitting the same ice patch…that was brown trouser time I can tell you as we performed an elegant ballet around each other and somehow didn’t hit anything Fingers crossed the damage wasn’t too bad with the last one and just a change of air filter and a few hours drying time to get going again

[@jaydenchrono]

The reversing one - a C was very generous grading for the viewer. He was so incensed that he was completely willing to accept a collision.

[@mixerfistit5522]

D for the motorcyclist, he was going to go through the amber after the learner potentially did else he'd have been slowing down himself.

[@NicholasFerrar]

I really like that format. So Much to learn.

[@paulcollyer801]

5:29 I’m an extremely experienced driver and have accepted past mistakes & therefore learnt from them. If you refuse to accept where You may have gone wrong, you’re destined to repeat! Now onto country roads. I will sometimes find myself on country roads in a rush. I will drive hard, but will always slow to be able to stop in half the distance I can see clear. Just remember, the other driver will have stopping distance to factor in when you see each other too!!

[@grahvis]

Breezing home from work on a moped on a country road one night, going round a bend when wham, the world was full of water. A road gang had been working on the road verges and had blocked a drain, causing a very large, deep puddle. Luckily, being on a moped meant my speed was only about 30mph, so no big problem other than an unpleasant surprise.

[@stevendrennan167]

At 8:45. This is just around the corner from my house and I use that junction most days. I am very wary of indicating too early. But have to be careful with pedestrians who also cross the side road.

[@Masteryoda61]

@Ashley_neal i thought the Peugeot reversing should have had a worse score, looked like a side road and they were on the wrong side of that road. Also reversing onto the main road which i thought was against 201 of the highway code "Do not reverse from a side road into a main road. When using a driveway, reverse in and drive out if you can."

[@letter1014]

Easy F for me.

[@shm5547]

they were on the correct side of the road for the direction they were travelling! yep, it was really bad.

[@aoxVGC]

Yeah D is very charitable they clearly wernt looking and had no concept of anyone's safety including their own, easily an F

[@falsernet]

7:43 This set of junctions in Wigan is one of the worst I encounter regularly because of the lane alignment, especially in the opposite direction.

[@ibs5080]

At around 8:45, ah yes, the situation with two turnings close to each other, with the risk of signals getting misunderstood. Agreed the cammer signalled too early and mislead the vehicle waiting to turn left out of the first side street that the cam car was going to turn into the same street. Personally I wouldn't have signalled until around 8:45 but I would have slowed right down very gradually and early on to control the speed of any traffic behind me...and hopefully they would heve also cottoned on to what my intentions were re taking the second side street. Of course this would not have been the correct approach if there was only one side street but it's a good illustration of how one needs to vary one's driving according to the situation. Another option would be to give no signal at all and rely totally on slowing down early to send the message to those behind. It's been said that its better to give no signal than a misleading one. From the point of view of the emerging car, the learning point here is be very careful when you are waiting to emerge from one of two side roads that are close together.

[@robg521]

8:43 I hate junctions like this, if you signal at the last minute for the 2nd road, cars approaching from behind complain because you are signalling late, if you signal earlier to keep the cars behind happy people in-front are misled into thinking you are turning earlier into the 1st road. The only solution is to gradually slow down early to a slow speed as you approach both side roads, this gives you time to give the signal at the correct moment.

[@davedoohan2732]

Yay, next to last clip from the ring road of my home town. The right two lanes are coming from a flyover and the inside lane is for joining traffic from the island below and it’s usually really busy approaching the next major exit to the city centre.

[@Batters56]

7:32 I think you’ve been very kind to your viewer there! I’d say it’s an extremely complacent pull out because usually there’s no one coming with the result that he very nearly puts it in the side of other car, but it could have been a cyclist or pedestrian etc. Surely the cars driving past are “taking priority” in the same sense that driving past a car waiting to enter from a side road is taking priority?

[@MartinParnham]

I agree with you 100% on this. My first thoughts were that you can't just pull off your drive without looking and/or expect nothing will be coming. It also didn't look like the other cars were doing excessive speed and while you could argue you have to expect the unexpected like this, there's not much the other car could have done IMO.

[@James_mM]

@@MartinParnham @Batters56 I believe Ashley's analysis is spot on here. There is fence to the right of the emerging driver, this will obstruct the drivers view. To negate this they therefore must slowly edge out beyond the fence in order to gain a better view, this for some moment will leave them vunerable as their bonet may have entered the road. I believe the driver could've edged out slower and lowered the risk but I think this is why Ashley gives the emerging driver a C. The driver is also emerging onto a narrow and steep road with what appears to be numerous hidden emerges, the speed limit on this road I would assume is 20mph, and given the condtions of this road being narrow, two way and steep with lots of blind emerges, I believe the driver of the Volvo coming down the hill may have been driving too fast. They could've benefitted from slowing down and observing emerging drivers and helping them out by stopping if they believe they have not been seen (something Ashley has taught on this channel before). I think both parties could've done more to reduce risk and so therefore I think Ashley's analysis is actually spot on here.

[@RichPAFC1987]

About the last clip, i usually reduce my speed by at least 10mph where i know standing water is present. I also avoid braking if at all possible and keep the steering wheel straight. Sometimes i will go even slower if conditions deteriorate. But you cant always avoid it.

[@MRJWC2332]

in any type of bad weather you should slow down. the speed signs are for limiting the speed on that type of road and it dosn't mean you have to stick to it. thus this case; heavy rain + surfice water = puddles. its ok to say this & that on hear because some of us have done it in when we just started out driving! but still just to take action & care and not just for others but mainly for YOU. 🚑🚒🚓

[@Evolixe]

I don't think he braked at all. Nor steered. Such levels of standing water just does that to you.

[@ChrispyNut]

7:27 - Nah. C+ because they had at least reversed in, so they don't have to reverse out ... allowing them the ability to check for oncoming traffic, even if they don't utilize that capability. Reversing onto roads from driveways / parking spots is a huge bugbear of mine!

[@hairzilla]

Two rules i learned recently, never return to lane one on a dual carriageway if there is a entry road in case someone comes out at speed, also never overtake or undertake on a roundabout

[@MartinParnham]

First bit applies to motorways in case someone belts off an entry slip, especially if it's a reduced speed limit on the carriageway and the joining vehicle hasn't realised...

[@billyporter1389]

If traffic in outside lane are taking a 3 o'clock exit and you taking left or straight exit there is no problem undertaking.... If 2 lanes are going straight at a slow speed there is no problem either.

[@ChrisBrown-px1oy]

Great lessons; in the first case I thought Ashley was pretty generous with that D for such a late move into a hazardous position. Second rule, if everyone kept staggered on multi-lane roundabouts it would wipe out 60-80% of the content of some dashcam channel compilations, and a good job too.

[@billyporter1389]

@@ChrisBrown-px1oy A lot of things Ashley advises is all great in theory but not in practice. Driving in a staggered formation on a multi lane road would make those in the outside lanes lane hoggers. On motorways they are for overtaking only. On a three lane roundabout both lane 1 and 3 may be moving slower almost to walking pace, yet kanrpe two is moving faster. Surely lane 2 shouldn't have to slow down to the same speed as the slowest lane.

[@15bit62]

A suggestion Ashley - if you are giving out grades for the driving, maybe consider also awarding some grades for the road design? At 08:44 the road design is such that this kind of incident must be a daily occurrence, and blaming drivers seems unfair for that. I also see similar obvious road design failures in other videos (as well as in day to day driving).

[@ibs5080]

At around 7:05, not in any way excusing the cam cars decision to try to squeeze past the HGV on a narrowing roundabout exit road but I sense they did it in order to try to not "lose their space' amongst the two cars behind in the left lane. I have to say, both of those cars in the next lane and behind should have let the cam car filter Infront of both of them, given that the cam car already had no choice but to let the HGV go ahead.

[@peterthompson9854]

I'm not sure the HGV did much wrong on the roundabout either. They used as much of the road as was necessary to navigate the roundabout with a car just off the back of the trailer, saw the car back off prior to entry then exited the roundabout using the available space, which was no longer there because of the cammers' sudden increase in speed. I'm not sure the Honda driver could have done too much either. They would have needed to pretty much come to a full stop to let the cammer back in, which would have been quite sharp, with a KIA behind possibly already showing signs of annoyance. The KIA had the time to read the situation and should not have been annoyed or surprised that they needed to fix the cammers' judgement error and should have done it calmly.

[@keithg3206]

Nice to see you on tv this morning

[@joespittle1]

Solid save by the last driver. Good on them not to swerve to try and avoid it or slam on the brakes, thus unsettling the car when it hits the puddle rather than having complete control up until the moment it happens.

[@QiuEnnan]

2:59 that motorcyclist was going to jump the light - wow!

[@kenbrown2808]

the clip at 5:37. the driver reversing out was perfectly set up for failure. the coach was taking all his visibility away. he was in a position I work hard to never be in, as being there is a failure on its own accord.

[@duckydashcam751]

I hold my hands up with one of my clips on here and say i couldve done a lot, lot better, although it didn't help id had a stressful morning already. Ive learnt a lot from Ashley previous to this and now looking back at it, i should've done so much better. Cheers Ashley.

[@BatsAndNights]

I think the only way you could potentially avoid the puddle at the end is being able to keep in mind the risk of that happening and doing what you can to minimise the risk of it, essentially I'm not sure if the curvature of the road is legitimately what it's like geographically or if the dash cam is just slightly crooked, but if it is the former, in these heavy rain conditions very late at night, I'm probably sticking to the right lane rather than the left (obviously keeping aware behind, making sure no one is approaching fast from behind and moving to the left if this is the case). Reason being the road curves downwards towards the left, so you'd be less likely to encounter a puddle in that right lane. Even then, all it takes is for someone to wish to overtake at the worst possible time of getting to that puddle and the cam car's in the exact same situation. Furthermore, you likely wouldn't even think of this stuff *unless* it's a road you drive on frequently and have the local knowledge to know that's a possibility. Obviously to the word of the law, that's not exactly the greatest lane discipline. But I figure due to the amount of traffic you'd expect at 23:30 at night and as long as you are spatially aware enough behind to make sure you don't impede anyone wishing to overtake, it's a case of nobody hearing a tree fall in a forest. Still, the fact that the only way I can think of how you could theoretically avoid that incident is to literally violate basic lane discipline on purpose speaks volumes in terms of how easily avoided it would've been. Which it simply wouldn't be easily avoided for most people under normal circumstances unless you had Kimi Raikkonen at Spa 2002 levels of spatial awareness or serious local knowledge of that road

[@jaycee330]

I see this situation occasionally in the US, usually if a known section of road is prone to this, there will be a permanent sign that says "HIGH WATER" or "PRONE TO FLOODING".

[@issigonis975]

This is way better to watch than all those angry holier than thou dashcam channels who get kicks out of humilating other drivers. The puddle was really unlucky for the driver but it could have been worse. I had my plastic engine protection badly damaged in a large pot hole at a night lights event at a stately home. It was in a nice dark spot in the car park, cost a fortune and seeing that guys engine damage I felt for him. If only I had..... that is life, my fault for choosing that manevour in a low clearance car.

[@TheDantheman12121]

3:40 this clip perfectly highlights why the rule is stop during amber if it is safe to do so.

[@MrManningata]

The clip at 2:30, the real issue is the highway design. There is a junction with footways on both sides, but no safe place for pedestrians to cross - making them take risks.

[@letter1014]

That’s not true - this took place in Glasgow and if you look down the road a little there is a crossing.

[@MrManningata]

@@letter1014 not really, there is a crossing a bit further over but for a pedestrian this is quite a detour. If it was easy for them to use the crossing, they would have done.

[@letter1014]

@@MrManningata 'But no safe place for pedestrians to cross'. There was a crossing up the road so my comment stands.

[@MrManningata]

@@letter1014 all I'm saying is that if I designed that road I would have put in a crossing on the other side to allow for pedestrians to cross if approaching the junction from the other side (without going on a detour). It's not a safe design

[@letter1014]

@@MrManningata I agree with you there but not using the provisions available is just pure stubborness.

[@howyanowski171]

8:53 Poor planning, poor lane discipline & late change - Travelling in lane 2 (overtaking) when their exit is not even half a mile away (which even featured a significantly extended filter exit slip lane)!. Exit filter lane could've been picked up much, much earlier....& Cammer would have avoided been "hidden behind the white suv".

[@sparkymark68]

Interesting. I live very close to the puddle at the end of you're video, I've never seen it flood like that before, so thanks, I'll keep it in mind for the future. The roundabout is raised brick and is scarred by the impacts of many vehicles caught out using excess speed.

[@brantnuttall]

9:56 I love the message at the bottom! lol

[@pacer142086]

9:10 is from the Ring Road in Nottingham and there is a lot going on within a mile or two and it is easy for those unfamiliar with the area to get caught out. Unfortunately on the flip side that means people who go through the area every day get complacent and impatient with others, and in my earlier days of driving I can say I was guilty of that as well.

[@issigonis975]

That is spot on. These roads are easy and flow well if you know your lanes and when to get in early enough but a confused driver has to think on his feet and can get focused too much on one thing not missing their turnoff. I also think there is too much of a local road design going off and the way it is done changes county to county. I have a god awful set of roundabouts in my city which are also badly marked. Easy once you have done them a few times but hell on earth the first few times. I know a few people who literally will not use them ever as they see the risk in trying. Those who know the way go too fast and are unforgiving.

[@Manu-Official]

I had something like the last clip once. Dual carriageway going uphill with a slight turn. All of a sudden a river appears mid-corner and I'm doing 50-ish. The quattro system saved my bacon and the car held up, but still a case of brown pants. Council was notified there was nothing to evacuate water in case of rain.

[@Islacrusez]

Giving a C for choosing to cross on that road configuration is awfully generous. I would’ve tried to give them an F for it, only to remember that they could’ve still done worse and had to upgrade to an E.

[@brantnuttall]

10:04 Aylesbury: Football team is the Aylesbury Ducks and there's a puddle on the way. That amused me.

[@TheVicar]

Never run across a road, if you walk slowly people can easily avoid hitting you Teach your kids this

[@reachandler3655]

Better yet, teach them to use designated crossing areas and how to cross safely.

[@HarmonicaMustang]

If you need to run, you're either in the wrong place or timed it poorly. But using designated crossings should be prioritised.

[@TheVicar]

@@HarmonicaMustang I think in some cases people think that if they run then they'll cross faster and therefore get it over with quickly, which is safer for them compared to crossing slowly Sadly this will only end their lives faster

[@rufusgreenleaf2466]

Given it was a poor place to cross pedestrians should never feel like they have to run across a road.

[@Evolixe]

@6:44 Eh he doesn't really have any more space to give. It might look like he does earlier but you have to remember that the back end of that lorry is going to gradually run into the kerb as he steers left. But I agree he should've taken the whole space. On the exit as well.

[@dalmo001]

7:23 I'm really sure what much else the driver could have done here other than flash their lights and sound their horn to make others aware. You can see on the right the wooden fence blocking a lot of the view of the road and the car would protrude into the road before they had sight such as what happened in the vid. The cammer was edging their way out so I think those on the road shouild have been more vigilant.

[@davefb]

8mins. thats in Wigan and I was about to say 'I know why the white van did it, its because it splits to 4 and you need to be out of that left hand lane if you want to turn right at the next junction'. But yeah, that red light jumping was mental.

[@kdmq]

I totally respect your mentality on the fact that, just because you have priority, doesn't mean you can increase risk by continuing to drive at higher speeds, but I have to say, I would not be grading the driver that has priority lower than the driver that does not have priority, as you did at 9:11. I really enjoy these grading videos, but this is a fundamental thing I've noticed that I don't agree with.

[@hughraynor8670]

re. the last clip, if you can't stop within the distance you can see to be clear (this includes the road surface!!) then you need to slow. I also wonder what that vehicle's tyre tread depth was. I would have expected 7mm of tread on all four corners to be able to handle that with a lot less movement than we saw.

[@andyh4191]

Another good batch that shows everyone can and will, sooner or later make a mistake. A moments lapse of concentration, or a little bad judgement, and one has a situation to deal with. The only thing about the water (which would have caught me out). is that the signs said Reduce speed for the roundabout, but the cammer decided to increase the speed instead. Whether easing off he accelerator sooner would have reduced any problem with the car / water we will never know.

[@DAFPvnk]

5:50 they should have used that horn a lot quicker as well as another option to avoid that swerve

[@MartinParnham]

Agree. That was my first thought as well.

[@robg521]

3:35… A really good point, Amber light means stop ‘if’ it is safe to do so.

[@peterthompson9854]

I disagree with Ashley here. I think it was safe to stop at that changing light. I suspected the Motorcyclist hit the throttle to get through when the lights changed and sped up, so I re-watched for that. You can clearly see his right wrist rotating back. Drive scores an A for me and the Bike an E, as he did manage to stop in time.

[@Bin-The-L-Plates]

The biker clip was mine, and a great example of an ADI needing an ‘unbrake’ pedal. Looks like Ashley has edited some of the video out, that showed the amber light change and when / how my pupil stopped. It was safe to stop and wold have been red if we had’nt, but the pupil over did the brake pressure and stopped too harshly, ending up just under a car length from the stop line. I suspect the biker’s reactions were late and add in the heavier than anticipated braking they got caught out.

[@peterthompson9854]

@@Bin-The-L-Plates well, that and the bike accelerated to get through the lights. You can clearly see the twist of their right wrist before they hit the brake. Your pupil was spot on, biker was at fault

[@sillybait1329]

Isn’t there a mantra especially in adverse weather to drive as fast as you can see? If you can’t see properly it is always better to slow down in anticipation of something unexpected, be it fog, smoke, heavy rain or poor road conditions

[@Rroff2]

Personally I wouldn't have even rated that Kia driver a C at 7:17 - while in this case the dashcam driver put themselves in a poor position, there are many times when they could have got into that position through no fault of their own and/or an inexperienced/new driver who made a mistake and I bet the Kia driver would have given them just as little consideration leading to a potentially dangerous situation which simply didn't have to happen.

[@matthewavery850]

I had a similar thing to the puddle at the end, didn’t spin out or anything but did need a new alternator (as well as pants!)

[@rustydusty2992]

7.25 What a lot of motorists forget or are ignorant to Ashley is the vision splay from a driveway onto a verge, path or a road are governed by laws of local government and these splays minimum are usually 1.5 metres to a max of 3 metres either side of your driveway. In some cases even greater so all motorists should check not only for changes since they moved in or constructed their driveway but straight after purchasing or starting to rent a property in case the former tentant did not.

[@JonnyUnforeseen]

2:42 interesting that this junction from Toryglen in Glasgow was shown in another of your compilations just a few days ago.

[@radishpea6615]

8:47, cammer needs to indicate in enough time for driver behind to react but in doing so, perhaps gave the impression they were turning into the same road the BMW? was emerging from, this is where Ashely could give some advice on when to brake and indicate. I am sure Ashely has on a video said 1 flash of indicator for every 10mph. 10:00, could not have been avoided, perhaps driving slower could have avoided the incident being as bad as it was. Yes I suspect most would have been caught by the puddle.

[@GMBasix]

[@AM2K2]

I've only just started using the Waze app but perhaps user reporting is the only way the last clip will be avoided!

[@cactusbase3088]

05:39 - I think the 4x4 coming the other way should have got a special mention too as they clearly saw the danger of what was going to happen and moved over as far as they safely could to accommodate either reactionary steering of the cammer or possibly even a collision by the two cars. I would have given the 4x4 a 'B'. Perhaps they could have also slowed down a little bit more to reduce risk further?

[@J1mston]

I really need to get a dash cam fitted because I had a scenario that would've fitted in this series and I'd like some feedback. I was on some national speed limit roads and was wasn't having a fun time of things. I had a tailgater behind me and a few cars in front was someone driving on the slow side. The road opened up into a dual carriageway like they do in some places to allow passing. I opted to go into the right, along with a few other drivers in front, we all wanted to pass. The leading car however saw this wider road as a chance to speed up so they were doing 60. The cars in front of me were doing 70ish and slowly passing then moving in. The thing I didn't realise is two things, that this bit of dual carriageway was unusually short and that the spaces in front of the original lead car and the cars who had passed were far too small to move into. My options were to slow down, try to squeeze back in in front of the tailgater who was already closing the space or floor it. I floored it. My car is a performance car and has a button that you can press to instantly put it into it's most tuned settings to give maximum performance so I pressed that button. Even with that I ended up slightly on the white chevron area but barely. So my sins are speeding and entering an area that I shouldn't but I could not see any more sensible option. I was stuck on the right where it was merging in and there wasn't a gap for me to merge into so I went to where the gap was.

[@shm5547]

The situation you describe is very common. Many vehicles are only legally allowed to do 50mph on a single carriageway and 60mph on a dual carriageway, so speeding up when the road duals is to be expected. Even if this wasn't one of those vehicle types, it absolutely fine for a driver to do these speeds. The key is making sure you do not start an overtake if you've got nowhere to go and never assume you can just follow the vehicle ahead.

[@J1mston]

@@shm5547 Yeah I wasn’t familiar with the bit of road so when I saw it quickly running out I panicked and relied on speed and power to get me out of what was clearly my own bad planning.

[@shm5547]

@@J1mston well, it can be very distracting to have a tailgater and it can put pressure on you to make progress. I can see the temptation to get past the slower vehicle, but with hindsight, perhaps a better use of the short dualled section would be to let the tailgater pass so they can bother someone else!

[@J1mston]

@@shm5547 That’s just it, they didn’t even go into the right hand lane! They weren’t tailgating as an attempt to get us in front to speed up, they were just a bad driver who had no idea how dangerous that style of driving is.

[@shm5547]

@@J1mston hmm, yep. I had a van driver like that a few weeks ago, right up behind me. I slowed at a section where there was an overtaking opportunity and they didn't go past. I sped up / slowed down a couple of times to see if they'd get the hint that I really didn't want them right on my bumper. With nowhere to pull over and it being dark, I slowed right down to 20mph then booted it and didn't see them again. Sometimes a bit of speed is the better option.

[@johnwilson5200]

5:17 Appreciate the general quality of your work. In this instance however, on a single track road, you (in common with so many driving trainers) did not take the opportunity to identify/reinforce the need for drivers on single track roads to be able to stop within HALF the distance they can see to be clear! I strongly believe there is a need for a specific video on the subject... Best regards

[@MartinParnham]

I'm sure that second clip is Stafford. I know that street very well and this happens (or used to...) a lot as there are several of those chicanes on that road. In that clip 5:57 one of my initial thoughts was that they could've used the horn earlier. I'm always very wary when I see vehicles doing this that they either haven't looked or haven't seen me so brakes and an early beep would probably have worked. 8:20: White. Van. Driver.

[@paulcollyer801]

Dang! I sometimes frequent that puddle location! Noted for future reference! Driver was fortunate. I once saw a Porsche parked against the bent armco of the central reservation on the (iirc) A31 at the bottom of a long dip, having spun out in a similar event. Both armco & car were, I believe, written off. Sad fact of the matter, I could see the extensive flood from 800m away, so not much excuse. (FTR, unlit stretch at the time, about midnight or so. Cant remember the precise location but somewhere about Bird World…)

[@brantnuttall]

7:07 I disagree. when coming from 2 to 1 lane, cars should use the zip method which the Kia driver absolutely flaunted. And that is worthy of a D at least for him.

[@TrainsAndWellbeing]

News flash! I'm not a perfect driver either. I got caught by the water one myself once on a country road at night where the water didn't look any different to the curvature of the road until I was just able to see a slight reflection on the surface too late: My Mk1 Clio jumped over it like a skipping stone which felt interesting, and then I continued home after a brake test with a nice clean underside. I also remember once coming out of my drive way with limited visibility and getting my observations wrong and was helped out by a learner driver on a lesson who held back for me. I think it is true that we spend so much time on our roads allowing for mistakes from others which can sometimes feel infuriating but: a good lesson can be to remember that sometimes others may have helped us out and that no matter how much experience or training we have behind us, we will make mistakes!

[@dudetteburgman8861]

I'd hate to think what would have happened if a motorcyclist had gone through that massive puddle...

[@CraigNiel]

3:31 The biker will earn from that, I did exactly the same when I was a new rider (younger and more stupid) and it really shit me up! I never EVER did it again!

[@AUaudits]

My car developed a misfire & engine management light came on, an amber. I bought a fault code reader from Screwwfix & it came up with poss fault. Loss of power, misfire on piston 4. I found some small 3 drops of water on plug 4. As I swapped plugs 3 & 4 over to eliminate plug fault, I found some oil on plug 3. I made enquiries & booked car into garage for new rocker valve gasket & plugs. The water be from heavy thunder showers previously & will be having new leads with rubber washer seals.

[@AUaudits]

Car service overdue, so I see it as a major service. My next job be the custom made sports exhaust, to replace the leaky one.😊

[@stevekenilworth]

7:41 as drive a very closed entrance im amazed he not put those round sat dish mirror up across road, i know i would do place it the side hedge somewhere 7:30 where range rover is, looks like seeing left not as bad as right so be a good place for mirror pulling out blind junction, but also windows down to listen and slowly edge out bit by bit till you have to go or when you see its safe, ive pulled out green lanes in my city car through a hedge on to 60 country road between two comers totally blind a place many not even know its a track / junction so 99% never expect to see car merging esp a city car, you can listen and edge out but when past point safety no messing about you want to at least get up to min speed you think someone go around those corners and make progress to get to that speed as until up to speed you in the danger zone, even if you pull out in front someone totally blind on fast road only certain amount you can do and rest is fate it out your hands so im happy to use all 2nd get me up to 50mph small engine fastest way to gain speed short shift to 2nd use it all time that gear done you at a speed to match average flow traffic so safe. so many blind junctions in north Wales one so bad and lethal i avoid it as between two sets S bends fast ones in a dip high hedges you go to go then next fraction of a sec a truck flying at 50 only meters a way it a junction when you done your best to make sure its safe ive left good sett 11 on the road getting out as turning right you want to get clear that left lane very fast as if you pulling out and see a truck already to late to fast too close, first time coming to that a first week driving what went through my head wtf do i do here no safe way to pull out its deadly, had line cars behind time i took a chance

[@frankmitchell3594]

Recently puddles have become a bigger problem because of potholes. A driver cannot see how big the pothole is underneath the water.

[@KXXULADavidOC]

that 1st clip is one of the great things about driving an automatic no worrying about being in the wrong gear or gear changes 😀 7:09 the clapping wow 😂 that last clip 😨 I'd say that would have caught me out aswell

[@ibs5080]

Just saw this come in and I see it's another one of those videos where drivers are graded. I love that concept, really enjoyed the first such video and will now watch this one with great interest.

[@ibs5080]

At around 5:33, one thing I do on those narrow single track roads is fold in my driver's door mirror untill I get to a wider road. I'm always concerned about having my mirror hit and broken off when on those narrow roads. The temporary loss of rear vision on that side is not much of an issue on a single track road in the way it would be on a multi lane motorway for example.

[@letter1014]

What about if you have to reverse to allow a vehicle to pass?

[@ibs5080]

​@@letter1014Yes, that's an excellent point, especially that a "reverse" situation comes up frequently on these narrow roads. In which case, I quickly unfold my mirror back out again for the reverse. I have to admit that on at least one occasion, just as I was about to reverse, I suddenly realised I had my mirror folded. As a result, I'm better prepared and aware of that now. Maybe even more so in the future since you and I have now had this discussion too. So Thank You!

[@leenevin8451]

Rather my mirror get hit than the car

[@ibs5080]

@@leenevin8451 True, though done properly, the risk of any damage to either the mirror or the rest of the car should be minimised rather then increased.

[@peterthompson9854]

What about if you slow for any reason and a cyclist comes up you inside?

[@Tillyard86]

5:34 what’s that yellow thing reflected in the windscreen?

[@shm5547]

Looks like a 'waving lucky cat' - TBF to the cammer, you need all the luck you can get on the roads these days.