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"how observant are you!" "it's my job" 😂💪

I was driving in France near Paris a year or so ago and we went in a 2 metre height restriction tunnel... Bearing in mind I was driving a van about 1.96 metres tall, it was scary - I spent the entire time ducking down to the point where I was basically slouching in the seat...! It was a weird instinct, I guess 😂

Honestly didn't see that comment about the dog walker coming; I was too busy wondering what would be wrong with the 2 lawnmowers.

That last clip, I reckon that's the mum of whoever just passed and they don't take the P plates off when it's not the new driver.

14:05 The Audi clip is hilarious! 😂

12:32. Ash is observant! I was focused on the 2 agricultural machines in front of Ash rather than the dog behind him!

Apologies for my absence these days folks as I'm dealing with my very dear mother passing away on July 3rd. Mum's passing away is still with the medical examiner and been referred to the coroner. I'm in total disbelief that any of this is happening. Yesterday I went to a car show in Deal / Walmer not far from Canterbury. But it wasn't about the cars. It was all about doing something in mum's honour and I know it's what she would have wanted me to do. As I walked around, I would talk to her out loud and tell her how I wished she was there with me. I'm talking to her many times a day every day and have reassured her this will always be the case. Anyhow, I'll get to watching these videos when I can and I will always remain part of Ashley's community because it's a great one. Forgive me for writing all this folks but I find it helps. Please stay safe everyone

2:33 I see this a lot, an oversized 4x4 SUV that's been hampered by the fitting of large diameter alloys with low profile tyres. Often piloted by a driver with no spacial awareness, trying their best to tiptoe around potholes and avoid scuffing said alloys on the kerb.

Beamer at 2:30 - Moron has no idea how big his vehicle is. I really think we should require different classes of license for the larger vehicles. Some of them are getting massive and I see their drivers crossing over lines and using more space than needed all the time. They struggle to park them too. Some people just don't have the spacial awareness needed to safely manoeuvre these vehicles.

Can’t help thinking they need to revise licensing for cars to similar to those for motorcycles. B1 small cars, B2 Medium cars, B3 Large cars and B Licence for full SUV driving or alternatively these giant SUVs need C licence to drive. As clearly that SUV that took up a lane an a half for no reason is struggling to drive such a large vehicle.

14:00 - I used to drive a double decker bus under a bridge like that ... Sometimes I still find myself instinctively going to the middle of the road when I go under it in my car!

13:18 A classic "Someone is letting me out so I don't need to do any observations because they must have done them for me." combined with a bit of classic target fixation too. They emerge and pull left but keep looking at Ashley, stationary, on their right instead of looking left where they're going. I get the pressure to get a move on so you don't unnecessarily hold up someone who has been decent enough to let you out, but if they are patient enough to stop for you, they're also patient enough to wait for you to make proper observations.

07:45 that’s great planning and awareness, everyone should be thinking of these things when driving but unfortunately it’s extremely rare these days.

The multi lane roundabouts in this country are dependant on local designs. We have one near me that is a mess in its design plus worn out markings and people who know it going full pelt around. Apart from the confused a lot of drivers suddenly realise they are in the wrong lane and try and save time by taking chances. Better to turn off and come back on. There must be someone out there with a brain and common sense to come up with a design that would be universal. For those who say it is obvious try one like my area and and tell me it is obvious. There are a lot of people I know who avoid it and openly tell me.

My weekly driving reset. Thanks Ash

In my opinion the difference between a fail and poor driving is intent, a fail is when someone unknowingly makes a mistake, poor driving is someone who runs a red light on purpose or drives a bicycle on the wrong side of the road. We as drivers who learn from this channel turn fails into non events, we fall back and let those who make mistakes correct themselves, wait in spaces or else do what we can to help keep traffic flowing without adding to the situation. When it comes to poor drivers all we can do is hope that these people don’t cause harm to us and those around us and that eventually their actions will be caught by the correct people and dealt with in a way that they will learn. Or they find a channel like Ashley’s and learn from it before they hurt themselves or someone else.

13:57 That kind of reading everything what is going on is so good. I had a situation where a truck turned left into a small road and stopped with the trailer still in the junction, so I knew he would reverse into the supermarket behind him. Maybe obvious to most people, but there will still be people trying to get past that trailer.

The clip at the very end... Years ago I was stopped at some lights on a dual carriageway. I could see the car in the outside lane coming up to the lights in my mirror, and the driver was busy applying eye liner/mascara. Unfortunately, she was SO busy that she'd not seen the red light. She spotted it at the last second and had to stamp on her brakes as she got beside me. A rather painful lesson as not only did she stab herself in the eye with the makeup stick/pencil, but also had the sight (out of her other eye) of me absolutely wetting myself laughing at her. Sorry - I just couldn't help it!

Another really helpful video! I miss the outro music though...

So sorry for your loss Ashley-and yes where i live there are loads more people using the left lane at roundabouts to go right-its just impatience. Take care and best wishes to all of your family

I really liked the instruction to hold back so the lorry could have more options before the bridge. Top content as ever!

6:55 did anyone else see the car behind has got a parking ticket still stuck on the windscreen? Didn't see it didn't care?

14:41 car drivers complain about when motorcyclist filter but they do exactly the same themselves yet it's more dangerous 🤯

The Driving standard in the UK has gone down so much, my guess is more cars on the road bring up travel times and impatience people do stupid things to save 10 seconds at the expense of everyone else.

Congratulations Adam, well done on passing 🎉🎉

The second clip where you let the car out had a learning point for the drivers queueing. Why pull up right to the car in front blocking a junction or the view of a junction. I see it all the time Ash where people will keep the junction clear but then pull forward as soon as there is remotely enough space so they are not exactly blocking the junction but don't help people trying to come out. The truck queueing wasn't getting any further by sitting in the view of people attempting to turn right, especially with bigger cars, vans or trucks

I dunno, the more I watch these videos and listen to the chat during lessons, the more I want to go back and do driving lessons again, but with Ashley teaching 😅

I think driving standards are getting worse, and I don't think this has anything to do with the standard of instructors or the driving test. I like many people knew the rules of the road before I started driving. I grew up cycling on British roads and sat as a passenger when my parents were driving. I learnt a lot about how to drive and how the British roads system worked and how drivers reacted around each other before I had a single driving lesson, i was part of growing up a few years ago. We now have many people in this country who didn't have that experience, and I think that is a large part of why these days it is harder to trust that the driver of the other vehicle knows what they are doing, as they don't necessarily have much experience of British roads, or British mannerisms when driving.

4:45 I've tried doing that before, going in the same direction I'd go in front of them and put on the same signal. Don't think I ever got someone that understood and turned it off lmao

5:53 I would petition the council to put some bollards up there. 3 vehicles in the space of a minute going up the pavement to skip the traffic... Shocking driving

6:55 - Why do I think this is happening more and more? (turning right from left lane at roundabout) A - Because more and more roundabouts not only allow it, but encourage it... Several near me in Peterborough have large signs before the roundabout saying "For A47 Wisbech use BOTH lanes" (or similar) A- and, because when learning to drive larger vehicles we are taught "Always be in the left most allowed lane at a roundabout when turning right" (this advise trickles down and confuses people who confuse this with "be in the left hand lane" rather than "left most allowed lane")

I visited Liverpool for the first time a couple of weeks ago, I recognised two or three roads in this video from my short stay. Absolutely loved the city. Regards the turning right on roundabouts from the left lane, it does seem to be an issue country wide. In a similar vein, there’s a particular roundabout in my town where everyone goes straight on from the right as the continuation is slightly past the “12 o’clock” but the preceding signage shows it to be at the “12 o’clock”. The road markings clearly show the right lane is for the right turn only. I’m teaching my son at the moment and have only been there when it’s quiet up to now so get him in the left lane and I find myself turning my head like an owl to be sure no one is conflicting with us! I do this as he will fail his test if he negotiates that direction from the right lane though it’s arguably safer from the right. It’s worsened by the amount of people who signal right when intending to go “straight on”.

Thanks Ashley. I always learn so much from your videos. I appreciate the work you put into each one 👏🏻

Re: Going right in the left lane on roundabouts. This was commonplace when I lived in Belgium a few years ago, to the point where if I tried taking roundabouts in a similar fashion to how I do here in the UK it would cause confusion amongst the locals. I wonder if it's an issue that's been imported by drivers coming to the UK having originally learnt to drive elsewhere?

I do see a lot of people approaching roundabouts in the lefthand lane who turn right. Particularly annoying when there are signs and road markings present. I suspect it's because they are afraid to move into the right hand lane.

On the clip at 06:44, re the driver in the left lane turning right. There is a roundabout near me where this happens all the time. It's actually got 5 exits (6 including the approach) and it can be a bit confusing. The roundabout in question is on the A167 road heading in a northerly direction from the south (from Northallerton) towards Darlington. It is the roundabout where you turn right onto the A66 ring road. It's the roundabout with the big Evans Halshaw car dealership. The problem is, the A167 continues into Darlington town centre, and it's the 3rd exit on the roundabout, but it's at a bit of an awkward 1pm position on the roundabout. The only sign approaching the roundabout says "A66M and A67 Left Lane" and "A167 and A66 Right Lane". For people not familiar with the area, that sign is pointless and unhelpful. It should say "Town Centre" or something more helpful. Anyway, because I use the roundabout almost everyday in this direction, I correctly use the right lane on approach to continue onto the 3rd exit and continue for the town centre. I would estimate that roughly 30% of the time I use this roundabout in this format, somebody in the left lane decides to incorrectly take the same, 3rd exit as me at the same time as I'm trying to take it. More often than not, this person proceeds to honk at me, tailgate me, flash me and give me the finger. Despite me being in the correct lane as instructed by the sign. But the frequency with which this happens got me thinking, there must be something inherently confusing about the roundabout for so many people to be getting it wrong. And not just getting it wrong, but almost taking me out in the process and aggressively and assertively gesticulating at me that it's my fault. I can only assume it's to do with the 1pm exit position, and maybe they've been taught in the past to use the left lane for a 1pm exit, and they've missed the sign and guessed the left lane is correct? Anyway, worth exploring it on Street View and hearing your opinion. It's only a matter of time until there's a serious incident (road rage or a crash) due to the insane proportion of people incorrectly using the left lane despite the signage. Other roundabouts in my area it's just the normal random bunch of people - even me I guess, who occasionally makes a mistake. But this one is chronic.

1:24 absolutely brilliant. You come across a problem and solve it, you were clear behind so could stop and show that it was safe for them to pull out.

15:35 this caught me out a couple weeks ago, never been down this road before and I did exactly what the merc did thinking it was a slip to turn left

@6:13 - had similar issues locally with drivers doing that over a cycle path to cut roundabout queues. Local council have had to install bollards to stop it.

I passed my test 1991 only had 3 lesson's because i couldn't afford anymore and already paid the test centre with a 3 month window. Love watching the odd Ashley and Imran(?) vids when they pop up on me feed. Great stuff👍. I don't drive no more got an electric mtb with trailer for shopping and a race car simulator. 😊

At the low bridge, the Audi identified as a curtain sider. 😂

Audi drivers need to ensure their big ego is going to fit

Was the clip on the ride-on mowers from this years Grass National from Aintree?

At 13:20 what are your thoughts on pulling forwards to "block" them into the junction, so that they can't make the mistake of pulling out without observations - trying to work out what allows for better flow whilst still minimising risk?

The roundabout when you're coming up Merton rd Bootle, is bad for people in the left lane turning right in rush-hour.

17:55 I laughed out loud. Couldn’t have scripted that any better!

Congrats to Adam for passing his test! Remember seeing him, I assume, quite early on in his driving lessons in your videos a while ago and he's come on miles from then. Good stuff to him and to you Ash!

I had an interesting situation today: on a country lane with a triangle junction that’s just a bit too small. I had two cars behind me and I was turning off into where there was a car waiting to come out to the right, but I realised it was a bit tight for me to squeeze all the way past. I pulled in and stopped, a couple of seconds later the car was able to pull out and in a friendly way shouted to me “shoulda waited mate”. Now this would have let him out, and got me on my way quicker, but I would have inconvenienced the two cars behind me. So I think I made the right choice for “best flow”?

I have many times ducked under low tunnels or bridges, even when I know I will fit. Once I actually had a height restriction barrier scraping the roof of the bus, but that was because it was placed to low. Another time I scraped because it was hanging down. Best is of course when you drive a 2,9 m sprinter into a 3.,0 m tunnel with "Overhead" flashing above. Along one of our routes we have a passage under a railway shaped like the one in this clip, and it has warning lights for oncoming traffic when there is a high vehicle coming because they have to drive in the middle to not scrape the roof.

I spent around four years going up and down the A1 to get to work for one job, fifty miles each way, every day I would see people brushing their hair or putting makeup on, often in the outside lane, if they had a passenger in the car the amount of head turning while talking was unreal at 70mph.

Regarding the "right from left" issue I wonder if it's because that's being introduced into roundabouts officially more and more. It's changed here recently, to get onto M6 Southbound from the A590 (out of Furness and Lakes area) you can now take the left lane if you wish even though the exit is at 3 o'clock. I've done it and it works but it feels very wrong. And I wonder if the increase in these is giving people the wrong idea at other roundabouts.

Looking to get a dash cam and went on to Ashley's Viofo link but there are so many options! Anyone got advice on what to go for?

Just passed, brand new car, and putting make up on while driving, more money than sense springs to mind.

02:06 as Highway Code rule 163, only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so, stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues, if the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left, that car had plenty of room to overtake the vehicle signalling to turn right on the left hand side, it seems like they were target fixating on the road and not looking at available road space.

A couple of years ago I hired a car and the built in sat nav was very slow with directions especially at roundabouts. Maybe thats one reason why people are in the left lane when needing to go right cus they rely on the sat nav too much. (im old school and used to use the big AA road map and now use google maps so i can plan my journey)

That notorious junction in Walton where everyone drives on the pavement and cuts through that side lane on the left could easily be fixed by just getting rid of the red light on that left turn and making the light pedestrian controlled instead. It's a give way line at the end of it anyway and sometimes you're sat there waiting for absolutely nobody for minutes on end. I definitely understand why people cut it since it's technically legal but it now makes the area more dangerous since the side road isn't designed for it.

I do want to ask because i'm not from the UK, but those L and P stickers, are they magnets you can simply put on and take off? because over here in belgium, we have L stickers as well, but they are generally actual stickers you put on the rear window and you cannot take them off and then put them on again so there are just loads of parents driving around with those L-stickers while their children are learning to drive

Many of the spiral roundabouts have conflicting road markings and road signs, some where I live make no sense, I’ve reported the problems and had one problem fixed, but not the rest. One has had the the road markings changed but not the road sign, this causes major problems. I get the feeling there’s too many lanes, they seem to cram in a extra lane into a non existent space, some lanes just disappear and the road markings with it and you’re left confused. Or the markings have worn out and not been painted. If you’re going to have spiral roundabouts, big ones, then keep the lanes clean and white. I like the American way, lanes are in yellow, this makes perfect sense particularly in winter and rain, plus low light! Oh and don’t rely on the say nav!

@Ashley Neal what are your thoughts on 'P' plates for new drivers?

The 14:00 Audi clip - I had to go back and check. Many such bridged sections of road have markings showing the safe corridor for tall vehicles, but not this one. Pure fixation, then, and following so close I wondered for a moment if the lorry was towing it.

7:04 probalby because more and more people ignore left signals and drive around the nearside (and sit in blind spots) of cars trying to exit,

Do driving instructors administer driving tests in the UK? In Australia, only dedicated staff working for the relevant state based government departments can administer driving tests, or, in remote areas, police can perform the tests, but no person can both instruct and also test.

I've had countless people doing 40 in a 60 road then they wonder why they get tailgaited drivers get annoyed then try to do risky overtake. Do the right speed then everybody is safe.

the first clip, isn't the keep clear suppose to be for the main road so you in the side road can go out? The guy at the back didn't use the horn so I don't think he's at fault (mostly)

My least favourite thing is being on a roundabout in the correct lane trying to follow it out and someone glues themselves to your inside and expects to live there going around who knows how far. All you can do is keep a solid eye on them and try get them infront of you (or behind as a last resort). 🤷‍♂️

I agree Ashley, more and more road users are turning right from the left lane on a roundabout. Had someone about 6 months ago do exactly this when I was in lane 2 on a three lane roundabout. Luckily as I drive for a living I was alert to this and moved across to lane three avoiding a collision but I absolutely lost my head with the driver and guess who saw the whole thing, the old bill. Who had to clam me down and sat me down in the back of there car for me to relax and get my head back in the right place. Still to this day I see other drivers doing this, I think it’s either a lack of observations or incompetence or both.

Went on my very first solo drive today and honestly it was both nerve racking and relaxing at the same time I'm a proud owner of a 1.4L skoda fabia estate and I have noticed that I'm a bugger at speeding a bit. I'm not doing it on purpose still figuring out the throttle response Pros with my drive Rectified my speed Dealt with a tailgater but making a full lap around the roundabout Did one of my best bay parking Dealt with a cyclist very nicely waited for a safer opportunity to pass them and gave them all the space they needed Cons with my drive Sped a little bit And reversed in to my house Stalled the car I genuinely would like hear people's thoughts and opinions For those who are wondering why I went for an estate for my first car A 1.25L fiesta would have cost me £1,500 a year For the same money +/- £50 the skoda was more controllable bang for my buck

The people using wrong lanes on roundabouts, I think its sat nav. People stair at the sat nav instead of road markings

11:43 a while back we were sat in the van in a layby on the A59 near Longton and a driver of a small white car decided to use one of those gaps to turn right into the lane adjacent to the other carriageway (essentially the opposite of what the van driver did). Unsuspecting driver in a large autobahn cruiser has to do some niffy brake work to slow down and swerve to miss them. HIGHLY DANGEROUS to cross a carriageway like that.... and we thought we were going to witness a fatal accident. The swervy driver got out to have words with the other driver putting themselves in even more risk along with several HGV and car drivers that had to under take a stationary car in a live lane on a 50mph road.

7:00 reckon it's because of poor road markings! Cost would be ridiculous but the coloured lanes work well.

The reg plate on the black car at the rounabout was wonky. Surely this is illegal?

03:11 that shade of green looks so nice and so cool on a car.

Mr. Neal has the same driving philosophy as I do. If in doubt, yield. Give the other driver space to manœuvre, even if you are not yet sure what that manœuvre is... and generally do what needs to be done to keep traffic moving smoothly. In other words "road calm"... the opposite of road rage.

1:25 - Ashley, I never wave motorists on like that. While it wasn't a higher risk area - I have witnessed 3 accidents where someone was waved on. If traffic isn't moving and someone wants to enter / cross traffic from a side street - I'll occasionally stop - but make it a point not to wave. Waving seems to override the other motorists assessment of traffic. They feel compelled to GO.

I'm surprised I haven't seen a comment about the Royal Mail van's numberplate being partially obstructed by the broken light at 8:24

Ashley asks why more and more drivers turn from the wrong lane. The answer came in the previous clip where he warns the young woman learner to look rather than react automatically to his instruction to turn left. Same thing, only it's experienced drivers blindly following satnavs at unfamiliar roundabouts.

Yea just this week, I had to stop immediately after leaving a large mini roundabout…at one of those middle islands….for someone who was already on the kerb edge waiting to cross. I was looking far enough ahead that I saw the person there, so no big deal. Tbh even without the rule change in 2022, it would be wise to anticipate the person stepping out. I looked in my rear view mirror and the driver behind threw his hands in the air…. Do you know the Highway code? But the most annoying thing was, after I stopped, and we all had stopped….she looked at the line of cars and told us to carry on…she waited on the island.

19:00 its an audi driver, They go to a different kind of driving school together with BMW drivers.

6:54 1. Lack of practice since COVID and more WFH I imagine is an aspect. 2. But also, road markings are not clear, look at the road marking at 6:54 itself, they both indicate straight... Why doesn't the RH lane indicate straight and right...? Lane marking like this are confusing as heck to me.

@13:19 I had to rewatch that clip because the expression on Ashley's face was classic. The look of disdain is where actions speak louder than words. A timely warning use of the horn was justified. Audi....... yes; Operator - not the car - but they really have got a reputation these days. Putting on makeup is worse than using a phone imho. Sarcastic sound bites noted. I ❤ a good Sunday Roast.

Ashley, referring to the last clip. Did you not know that is on the Audi syllabus? I’m pretty sure the men put make-up on too, they’re always in such a rush because they are late for their beauty appointments.

12:24 Looks like a triple mower in front, off to cut the grass. Dangerous job for all the metal cans and glass bottles that line grass verges. Don't throw litter onto grass verges of (fast) roads. Someone has to litter pick it - another dangerous job.....

People being caught in wrong lanes at roundabouts is because Satnavs instructions are not matching up with the lanes painted on the roads. I've seen it a lot, and been caught out once or twice in unfamiliar areas myself. Especially in and around the Derby, and also Carlisle, areas. I don't know if it is just poorly thought out roundabouts or the lane has been changed since the last satnav update, or maybe both.

The thing with letting people in like in 1:22 is that I never do it when there's nobody behind me. Why have a stop-start if everything after me is clear? If there's a queue behind me however, holding everyone up isn't great either. So in that case, I'd just slow down to give him a chance but not stop if he won't take it. Tricky one and videos don't give a good idea about space... The thing with height restrictions is that they are often only on feet & inches and then I'm not sure anymore. Signage is a bit inconsistent- if it's there.

That truck had a very high trailer, so good he stopped and looked at bridge. Please give consideration to trucks when they fo jn middle of an arch bridge , to habe a safe clearance. If I am not 100% sure( despite my known fixed height of 14,6 container, , despite the signs, i approach slowly and even stop and check with hazards on. You never know when council put another 30 cm of tarmac on or if the bridge has SUNK😅

01:46 a good driver always thinks of best flow for everyone, well done Ashley. 🙃

Love your videos.

Always refreshing to see a Range Rover driver breaking the mould and dispelling unhelpful stereotypes. Oh, wait...

13:20 - oh dear. I can completely understand why that driver thought you were letting them out. I suppose Ashley couldn't have nudged up a bit closer to the parked vehicle as there was danger of blocking the junction for the vehicle approaching if they were going to turn into it?

did you stopping to let the person out pressure them into turning out before doing full observations? you don't normally advocate stopping in such situations (referring to the one where you had to sound the horn)

I'm disappointed that you don't include makeup application in your syllabus. A vital skill.

15:25 Using a mobile phone not illegal for a cyclist in the UK? €160 fine over here in NL

As a HGV driver I'm shocked at the size of some motorhomes people can drive on a standard car licence. Some are only just a touch smaller than some class 2 vehicles but you need training and to pass a test for those.

that lorry clip; surprised you didn't get dragged out of the car by the merc. behind for that, thinking of the lorry driver and not getting to where you are going 10 seconds quicker!

I'm afraid that is the typical of driving today! Like you I drive these very roads and see it way too often!

Well done Adam!

That first clip after the intro is on washway lane, I’ve lived here since i was 3 years of age, and no one knows how to use that weird junction to get on/off the lancs, the amount of times people skip into the traffic bc of the lines of sight is awful

9:37 it looks like the driver is trying to cross the road to get back to the artic cab. If it had been me at this point, I would have pulled up to the driver and asked if they needed a banksman to help turning around, and if not, then held back to give them space to cross, since that would get the lorry moving again.

I don't think I've ever listened to your videos with earphones in before, so never noticed the sound of your engine! 😅