As an occasional cyclist, I treat every driver like they haven't seen you!!! Drive defensive, drive safe.

It seems that a lot of commenting people haven't understand your message. It's not "the cyclist attitude" or "motorcyclist attitude" or whatever other group of road users "attitude", but the "attitude" of some road users regardless of their means of transport (including pedestrians)

"Two wrong don't make a right" as the saying goes. Mistakes are an inevitable fact of life. It's how you deal with them that sets you apart.

That's a really nice garden

A lot of (motor)bikers also take this cyclists attitude these days, which is sad because they’ll end up a statistic much easier. I say this a biker myself and seeing how some fellow riders ride makes me sad for their soon to be bereaved families.

Clip at 1:55 When cycling I would and often do position to the middle of the lane when I think someone might be about to pull out across me, people tend to "nose out" so moving to the right is a defensive choice, once you work out what they're going to do, you then have two options of avoidance.

Chilling out is good advice, but, speaking as a cyclist myself, sheer fright and shock can make you swear at a driver!

Passed my test only about 8 months ago and was taught for 2 years on and off. People say when you pass you quickly drop good habits. I agree but also disagree. I still check mirrors, I still apply handbrake often, and one thing my instructor taught me was that you can't control other people's ways of driving. If I'm doing the speed limit and someone overtakes me in a dangerous spot, I ease off the gas pedal to allow them to finish, if it's already dangerous why would I want to increase risk by keeping my speed or even putting my foot down? If someone pulls out on me I'll either try to change lanes if it's safe or again, just ease off the gas or even slightly brake. There's a few roads near me with really closed side junctions, some where the only point in which you can see the main road is when you yourself are alongside the give way line. Some people panic at those junctions and shoot out as soon as they see a gap, I was taught to take my time and edge out slowly so oncoming cars can see the bonnet before they see me, and also when passing on the main road to move out slightly incase they did want to pull out. Helps to see each other quicker if I'm driving for a moment towards the centre line

I used to be a regular cyclist until I passed my test a few years ago. When driving in busy areas I realised how much attention and care is needed to watch everything and how easy it is to simply miss a cyclist or a pedestrian as they become closer because of a parked car or other visual obstacle. I simply can't cycle on roads anymore, because i just wonder how much attention each driver is paying. Stay Safe, it really does pay to remember that you are driving for areas you can't see as well as reacting to ones that you can.

What you say about cyclists accelerating to the point of trouble and shouting and gesturing applies even more strongly to motor cyclists. You are totally correct that you can't change the world and many of the reactions I have seen on videos from motor cyclists in particular are way over the top. Plan, anticipate and reduce risk is all you need to remember.

Really appreciate these videos - I’m in my first year of driving and get nervous about coming across new and difficult situations alone, so your analysis on incidents gives me extra confidence and knowledge, thank you!

Fair and balanced; what I really like about your channel Ashley. And the advice at the end applies beyond the roads too.

You shouldn’t punish people for being bad, you should praise people for being good.

I frequently bang on about defensive driving when other drivers are at fault and the innocent party still does nothing to ease the situation. Like slowing down if someone has pulled out in front of you. This should also apply to cyclists who are in "the right". Plan ahead. Cars are bigger than you. Oh. And my other "observation" is when this happens to motorcyclists, they rev the nuts off their machine while screaming abuse. As if that's going to prove what? Calm down dears!!

I have a full car and motorcycle license and ride a bicycle so I have experience of both 2 & 4 wheels. During my part 1 motorcycle test training ( to many years ago to mention ) I was trained by a excellent instructor, ( who was a off duty Police Motorcycle rider and knows a thing about staying safe on the road ). He said ride your bike as if you are invisible and no one can see you. By doing this you ride carefully and take preventative avoiding actions. This did not stop me from a car pulling out of a side road and I hit the side of the car flying over the bonnet but because I could see he didn't look right I was already braking and had a much slower accident, which I was able to walked away from rather than having a trip to A&E. Don't Ride or Drive Angry, be the better person and get home safely. Do you want to be in the right? or in a accident??. stay safe everyone and keep the Videos coming mate :)

at 1:58 (red car), sometimes cyclists are taught to move out slightly to the middle of the lane before junctions to give more opportunities for the car to spot the cyclist and longer for the car to brake

I cycle everywhere, and find myself thinking that he needs to focus less on being right, and more on flowing like water with what is happening around him, accommodating what is happening and responding in a way which helps.

Very interesting video. I think one thing to bear in mind is that we don't have mirrors or brake lights and often no horns, so if someone pulls out, we have to be aware that slowing unexpectedly could result in us being rear ended... being tailed extremely closely is far too common for riders who take primary road position and have the gear ratios to keep up with traffic (some drivers see a bike and just MGIF, even if that'll involve having to break the speed limit). certainly when the red car pulls out I think I recognise what the cyclist was trying to do and was expecting, that being that the car was going to spot them late and stop mid-manoeuvre, which explains why they begin to bear to the right (to swerve out and round). The clip where the cyclist swings into the left turn along with the right-hooker I think possibly a similar thing is going on, trying to dodge the obstacle instead of hang back. Cycliq cameras always make the ride look slower/steadier than reality too due to the convex lens and image stabilisation built into them, so I would say if the rider is on a road bike with slicks, the sudden need to brake might well cause skidding and loss of control... in your final discussion point you mention the agitation and retaliation of a rider... some times this isn't coming from a place of wanting to make the world right, sometimes it is just genuinely hard to maintain self-control. Riding produces adrenaline and there's also low lying stress and tonnes of testosterone moving through our bodies. If we are endangered, we're more likely to be triggered into a fight or flight response than a motorist because of the simple fact that we are open to the elements and a collision is going to hurt us. It's not our pride or sense of entitlement that is being damaged, like road raging motorists, it's the actual threat of physical harm - we become raw and defensive. I've had 3 quite serious accidents on my bike, and none of them were handled well by the drivers in the aftermath. Police actually considered all of them as a failure to stop at the scene, because although only 1 was an actual hit and run, in the other 2 the drivers refused their details, didn't report the collision to the police and left me injured with a broken bike at the road side. I took counselling after the trauma from my last accident, because I noticed I was cursing and using expletives etc in certain situations, my rider anxiety was very high and I had a massive persecution complex, which is also why I started recording my rides - in the moment, we may also shout because we don't have a horn to announce our presence. A simple short sharp "Oi!" normally works... I guess the point of this comment is to say there's often some seriously negative experiences behind why cyclists are quick to take things so personally - to a lad in german manufactured car, a close-pass might seem like a cheeky funny way of bullying someone who looks silly in bright tight unflattering clothing... but to us it feels like being teased with attempted murder.

When anyone makes a mistake, they will either feel bad, or won't care. If they feel bad, a friendly wave, to say "it's ok, I've sorted it" will make them feel humble, but happier. You may even get an apology. For those with a bad attitude, getting angry will do nothing but reinforce their attitude. However, for them, a very friendly wave, big open hand, between your face and theirs, will often frighten them. They may spend the restof the day wondering who it is that knows them, that they made a prat of themselves in front of. Sometimes you even see the pain in their face. Psychological warfare, works for me. Can work for whatever vehicles are involved.

Although there wasn't any massively close calls here, when your life is put at risk, you don't think about it. You just react, there's no thought, there's no time to think. Words just come out and adrenaline takes over. Although in these cases there wasn't anything awfully close or bad, say someone pulls out on you and misses you by a few centimetres... It's very hard to just continue on without swearing or whatever, because you've been put in immense danger. I've even had someone pull out on me while riding before and their wing mirror literally touched my hand. It's impossible not to let out a few words because of the shock. Crazy close overtaking is just as scary. It's tonnes against 100kg, it's not easy to just "stay quiet". To clarify, I'm not making out like this cyclist is doing things right, because he isn't. The situations could've been easily fixed in these cases - he didn't need to ride towards the vehicles or make it worse, however, in others, it isn't as easy.

Best advice ever. I used to cycle everywhere and got myself a few scrapes and bumps, usually my fault, involving inanimate objects. The though of steering towards an obviously bad driver on the road makes my head spin. Oh, and do you want said driver to get out of his car for a fight when you step off a bike? No? Well don't shout abuse at him then. The comment about how other drivers seem to get worse as your own driving improves is spot on as well - spot the idiot and keep out of their way; it's much quicker than stopping to argue about the highway code or exchange insurance details. Hopefully this will help everyone, cyclists and drivers alike, realise it's better to be safe than sorry.

I'm going out cycling this morning and will heed your advice. This did make me look at myself and I will think about that when I go out! As for the hand gestures, I don't know what the bike rider was trying to achieve at all! Thanks for the great content as always! I'm really enjoying the videos!

As a cyclist I take it as my responsibility to make sure I am seen by chosing an appropriate lane position, and while it does feel cathartic to rage and swear at people it's always best to remain calm, relax and have fun. I'm not the traffic police, I onlt have to focus on my ride

Cycling on any road requires consideration for everyone else on the road. non of us are perfect . Motorists and cyclists make mistakes and get things wrong. I ride regularly around the Liverpool area, I been down a lot of roads in this video. I do stop at red lights, signal when turning, give way to cars often... but I'm I perfect no. I've made mistakes and learned from them, classic example being lots of issues in the video where the cyclist rides into trouble. There's a feature on bikes just like cars called breaks, yes it means you have to push more to get back up to speed but break first to avoid trouble if you can. During a average 1-2 hour cycle around the roads I do get cars passing to close or pulling out on me. these days I can count them on one hand. what we don't think about is the hundreds of cars,vans or lorrys that drive great and you have no issues with. when someone does pass to close or does something odd in front of me, motorist or cyclist these days the biggest reaction you'll get is a slight shake of the head. I believe there are just as many idiot cyclist as the are idiot drivers around on the roads, what there also are lots in both camps of people who can make mistakes. it can be hard to see a cyclist at a junction , no matter what they are wearing. That includes people in bright yellow tops. The one element I do come across with cyclist more is the "im right,your wrong" I can break the rules of the road because I think it ok.... its not , the rules apply to us all. bit of a long response but I think a fair one. cyclist / motorist , none of us are perfect lets try to get along. that's the best and safest way!

Hi Ashley, I have learned many useful tips from your videos even though I've been driving since 2003. One I put into practice recently was correct usage of the horn. I was turning left into a side street and as I approached, I could see the risk of 2 pedestrians walking along and talking to each other. I thought to myself that these 2 just aren't concentrating and might step out without looking. I sounded the horn briefly and they jumped a mile but put their hands up in acknowledgement as they clearly had lost concentration for a while. Win win with that one. 👍

Drivers feel they are superior as they have a car. Cyclists think they are superior cause they drive a bike. Both drive poorly in the end. Only who don't think they are superior have a chance to really drive good.

Spot on analysis. I am a cyclist, motorcyclist and car driver.

Regarding the Audi that pulls out, I too would have manouvered in the direction the cyclist did, provided the oncoming lane was clear. It's simply to put distance between myself and the car that pulled out, taking evasive manouvre in the opposite direction of where the car is heading. Having said that, the focus of a cyclist can easily be weighted towards preserving momentum, simply because it costs quite a bit of energy to build it back up again. I've learned to put less emphasis on that, and just think of that extra bit of acceleration after slowing down as an extra workout.

All those incidents look like a pretty average day on a bike. People pull out all the time, you've just got to expect it and adjust your speed as you'll always come off worse against a car or a truck.

Wait a sec, you have legs? And a garden? I always figured you were some sort of Liverpool Johnny Cab 🤔

I am a firm believer in your zen-like philosophy. The reality is that people make mistakes all the time, we all do, we are all fallible. The mantra must be TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. Drivers and cyclists must learn to anticipate situations and take responsibility for fixing them. There is little or nothing to be gained from creating or escalating conflict. Unless perhaps if you are chasing views on KZfaq.

I don't agree with many of the points made about the cyclist, with the red car coming out of the junction, to me, the cyclist was moving ar und the car not into it. It happens quite often in my experiance that cars nudge foreward before seeing the cyclist and moving to the centre improves visability and shows the cyclists intenstion of continuing on the road and not turning left.

This cyclist's attitude is everything that good drivers despise, although it's probable that most cyclists weren't born arseholes, and have formed that attitude through dealing with so many bad car drivers. Even so, any road user who acts like the cammer in many of the situations in the video, is being a bad driver.

I feel the reason cars pull out in front of cyclists is the whole idea of not wanting to be 'stuck behind the slow moving vehicle' and not wanting to have to deal with waiting to overtake at a safe place...

I will confess, I have done this both cycling and driving a car.

i used to be like this guy in the clips. I was always shouting at people for the tiniest things. Embarrassing now. To think back on it. Now if i cycle, i laugh at bad driving, and just save the clip of video afterwards. I dont chase people down, or have a go at them. All it leads to is physical fights on the road. Think of uphill freewheeler, with the puegeot man. That was a dumb pass with him in the door zone, but it wasnt THAT close. That only made the pug man more resentful of cyclists, so nexttime he sees someone pedalling along, he will either be more angry at them, or more angry but wont do anything, in case the rider has a camera. The anger will still remain, but the action wont, because the cameras put them off acting how they want to. I think im a very good road user, but i do make mistakes, and i'll admit when i do. I drive a small lorry at work, and a few times ive passed cyclists, i simply wait for the oncoming traffic to clear, then boot it past them in the other lane. I do exactly the same on my motorbikes, even though im therefore leaving a 3 metre gap between us. I do it in the hope it encourages the driver behind me to do the same. I got pulled out on yesterday, quite badly on a roundabout on my motorbike by a bmw, i didnt swear or get angry, i just pictured us being in a supermarket. If i were to be pushing a trolley around asda, and a man suddenly threw his trolley in front of mine, making me stop quickly, would i have a go at him? of course not. So why make it any different on the road? its dehuminasation. The fact someone is in a car, or on a bike, means we cant see their face, and we havent got a chance to evaulate them like we would do in a shop. So, if you picture it being like having your own little trolley in a supermarket, you can expect people not to see you, or make mistakes. Just let it go,and continue. I've got two big motorbikes, one accelerates to 60 faster than 3.5 seconds. But some people, ,not all, think because im cycling, it means we are poor and cannot afford cars, which isnt true at all. I love cycling, and regularly do records of my own because i love to self power myself to other places that id never get to by walking.The face i can do 18 miles in an hour, staggers me, but its great. A bicycle really is a marvellous vehicle and needs respect for those who choose it. We have atm this sense of entitlement by some drivers, who think they own the road because of their vehicles size, and they use it as a weapon against bicycle riders, which i doubt they would ever do in the supermarket situation. I dont verbally abuse car drivers for sitting two abreast at 0 mph on 70 mph roads, forcing me to their slow speed when im on my motorbikes, but why do some drivers abuse cyclists, going 20 mph in a 30 zone, for slowing them down? Thats very hypocritical, and i dislike people like that immensely. If two people are cycling side by side, then it makes no difference to the driver behind if they driver correctly and use the other lane to overtake. So anybody who complains about two abreast cyclists is an idiot, because it just shows they cant overtake properly. How do they overtake a tractor then? in the same lane?

Never *ever* remonstrate with other road users, especially if you're on a bicycle or motorcycle (I ride both; I have never gestured at anyone while cycling or motorcycling, or shouted at anyone, even with the closest of calls). There is literally zero upside but potentially catastrophic downsides. A good driver who makes a mistake will realise they made a mistake, and reflect on their error anyway without you needing to shout at them. A bad driver will simply double down hard and refuse to believe they did anything wrong, and will believe it's you who are being unreasonable, and the more you yell, the more strongly they will believe their driving was fine and it was all your fault. So zero upside. What about downsides? Some drivers become agressive if you gesture or shout at them. On two wheels you have no protection, and if a driver should use their vehicle as a weapon you will go to hospital or be dead. It is cold comfort to your family attending your funeral that you were right. Worse still, the police will usually side with the car driver. Remember the clip a few weeks ago where the alleged ex-copper deliberately hit a cyclist? Even with good video evidence? It's not just ex-coppers they protect, police everywhere will tend to take the side of the car driver. If the car driver gets out their car and assaults you, it will be you who are up on assault charges in many instances. Just let it go. You gain NOTHING from gesturing, driving/riding at or shouting at another road user. As a personal story, about 10 or so years ago I was rear ended by a motorist (I was wearing a bright red shirt and frequently being a driver on the same road, I knew I had been visible for at least 30 seconds). A motorcycling student and instructor coming the other way had witnessed it; the police were called, and my Dad came out to recover my wrecked bike (and my bruised person). There was ample physical evidence too showing how the motorist had simply not even pulled out to overtake, they had just driven into the back of me. The Police started to become defensive of the MOTORIST while my Dad was pointing out this physical evidence. In this instance, the Police did prosecute the motorist, but despite overwhelming evidence from 2 motorcyclists and the physical damage on the car and marks on the road, the Police instinctively were defending the driver at the scene. In the end justice was actually done; the motorist got a driving ban (probably points totting up). The only action you should take with a close call from bad driving is to when you arrive at your destination, submit the video evidence. But also realise when submitting video evidence, your own riding is on trial, too.

Bloody hell, your garden looks mint Ashley 😆 Great upload as always. Ta.

Nice video Ashley and I think your take is very fair. Many years ago I was a more 'righteous' cyclist but now I enjoy sharing the roads with motor traffic and allow for others mistakes (and my own). It makes cycling much more enjoyable and I find a surprising number of drivers are courteous and patient. I forever have my arm up thanking them for holding back! Of course I don't get out on the bike nearly as much as I should, even in lockdown...:)

As a cyclist, I tend to avoid using the road as much as possible. I find that people driving aren't usually looking out for cyclists, and when I do use the road, it always becomes my responsibility to resolve a situation. In general I also believe that cycling on roads creates an imbalance that causes many dangerous and unnecessary situations.

Another great thought provoking video Ash. I actually liked the early positioning of the cyclist in clip 1, where he moves out into the middle of the lane (increases his visibility to others and shows his intentions to continue), but as soon as the oncoming car moves out he should have reduced his speed and moved further left in his lane. I do think 'dash cams/helmet cams' are extremely useful for safety and learning, but I also think they can give some people a 'watch this' sort of attitude, where situations are over exaggerated or made more dangerous to 'enhance' the footage to show family and friends afterwards. Most of us know from being reckless kids that 'watch this' is usually followed by misery.

I was fortunate enough to be on a Police advanced motorcycling course many years ago (no it was not because I had been caught speeding!). They made the point that a car is a solid metal box and a bike rider (whether motor or push) is a bag of skin and bones. In the event of a fight between the two, my money is on the metal box..

I am also a cyclist, and one day while I was cycling, somebody pulled out in front of me. I have very good brakes, but was very close to not stopping in time.

As a motorcycle, riding at much higher speeds, thus being in much higher danger. I really get mad at this. Just assume you’re invisible, and when someone cuts you off chill out. Maybe, if the situation allows it, at a stop or something point out the mistake to the driver. I wouldn’t do even that, just continue with your day...

Like your videos as a cyclist your videos have made me more aware of the problems motorists face i.e. their blind spots especially when entering roundabouts. Ride defensively and never assume the vehicles have seen you that way you will hopefully get to your destination in one piece

I wouldn't personally call this person a "cyclist", "Jackass on a bike" would perhaps be more apt..

I agree with most of your comments, however when the red Fiesta pulls out the cyclist was right to move into the centre of the lane. Given the railings along the left of the road, its reasonable to expect the driver's vision was obscured and often motorists will see you and stop. In this situation eye contact is key - something not clearly seen from the clip. It's also difficult to slow down as doing so may make the driver assume you're giving way. Having said that, the cyclist would've been better to have moved out sooner to improve visibility. After nearly 20 years cycling I must confess I will shout if I am scared by a situation - it can be very difficult not to. I am also quick to apologise when it was my fault however! In these clips all parties could diffuse a situation with a polite gesture - it goes a long way when things are a mistake!

The basic principle of defensive driving (or riding) is to spot potential trouble and stay clear of it. Usually the adjustments needed are quite small, such as adjusting speed slightly or stopping in a different place so that you're not in the blind spot of another vehicle for longer than absolutely necessary. With practice, it becomes second nature. As a cyclist, it costs me no extra energy to stop behind a HGV that's likely to turn to the nearside at the lights, compared to filtering up its blind side and stopping at the line. Another good principle is driving (or riding) so that other road users *don't* have to take action to avoid danger. That's not strictly a defensive driving principle, but inherent in the concept of the right of way. A car pulling out of a driveway or side road is one that doesn't have the right of way, but must give way to users of the main road, and must therefore observe carefully to ensure that none will be inconvenienced by their manoeuvre. Unfortunately many drivers are primed to look for cars (or even pairs of headlights at car height), so they look but fail to see a vehicle which occupies much less space than a car, or has only one headlight that isn't as bright as a car's (or none at all, in daylight), or has its headlights at a different height (even if it's a big orange artic with a giant plush Pikachu in the passenger seat). And some simply don't look properly in the first place, causing an extra special hazard that requires prompt action to avoid. I'm fortunate to now live in an area where most drivers are competent and courteous. The exceptions tend to be close passers, which I do tend to shout after as they disappear into the distance. Nothing overboard, just a hope they might realise that not giving me space to manoeuvre is in fact rather dangerous.

As a cyclist who commutes exclusively on a bicycle, that guy is an absolute nobhead. I see those guys all the time, cyclists who think they're a motorcycle or a car. You can usually tell them a mile off, I call them weekend riders

Thank you for this video Ashley. Some cyclists with cameras are sometimes cycling in a way to capture videos for their channel. Same goes for some driving ones with dash cams. Anyway, the important thing is to behave on our roads and treat vulnerable road users as such. I would also like to point out, the lockdown situation with less cars on the roads is proving one thing for sure, it was never the cyclist holding you up, was it? So treat cyclists better and don’t close overtake or “punish” overtake them ever again. They are not at fault for us having too many cars on our roads.

I've encountered quite a few drivers like this while I've been cycling or motorcycling and I my number one priority would be to take some kind of evasive action to avoid accidents. I understand exactly why someone would want to make a point to the car drivers that they were wrong but they won't really listen to that. If what they did was so dangerous and you got it on video, some police departments allow you to report such things online and often bad drivers will be sent on a driving course and given a fine. That's probably the only way they might actually learn their lesson.

Everything you mentioned is a good learning explanation. I remember cycling on the right hand side of road when I was young and also being quite silly on my bike when only a kid. Also I think now after all those years ago I must have put drivers in annoyed ways. Although I was young

On the subject of cyclists 'reprimanding' bad drivers, it's worth mentioning that sometimes drivers don't even notice that they've endangered a cyclist and certainly my own driving improved after being shouted at by a frightened cyclist (as an occasional leisure cyclist myself it stuck in my mind).

I've transitioned from "I can't believe someone can be that stupid" phase. What changed me? Driving for one day on all kinds of Belgian roads. Where have I transitioned to? Appreciating experienced, skillful drivers, who observe far and plan ahead to keep everyone's speed high. You being mad at a knob who suddenly stopped on a narrow carriageway because he forgot to turn right and it's his final 10m will not help anyone, you'll just keep huffing and puffing for the next 10 minutes. Instead, realize that there is an intersection coming and anyone might maneuver. Increase your distance and downshift. Look far and plan ahead.

Yeh your comments are justified, so many people steam in to roundabouts, get too close to other vehicles to prove a point, etc. etc. etc. About the car & trailer with different plates, I used to pull people over and let them splutter when I ask them questions about where they got the trailer and if they realise its as bad as having false plates on your car....

Its funny how easily people get wound up and feel invincible in their car or on the bike most road rage arguments swearing and aggression wouldn't happen in a supermarket but it does happen on the roads ! I used to take things to heart driving but I've learnt that a lot of people are poor drivers ! The quicker you can learn that and adapt and make sure your in control and observe every situation the better driver you will become and the easier your daily commutes will be !

As someone who until the virus came cycled every day for about 20 years, I don't think it's my job to force a driver to see me. I understand it can be difficult to see a cyclist when you're driving, but it can be difficult to see a lot of other things too. If you can't see, don't go. Seems like a good bit of advice? I think there are lessons to be learnt here from both drivers and cyclists, but there is simply no way I could continue cycling if I were to assume all other road users never saw me.

Doesn't bother me, if someone pulls out in front of me when driving I'll call them a whatever, do the same if I cycled on roads.

Ah its the same no matter what mode of transport you use..sometimes other road users do the wrong thing sometimes its our own mistake. Main job is self preservation and try hard not to cause or be involved in an accident even if that means ceding priority when it should be yours. Take a deep breath and don’t take it personally 👍🏻 Sometimes we do get pissed off though we are all human 😂 Stay safe everyone no doubt we will all be back on the road soon annoying the heck out of each other 😆

Absolutely spot on about all of them, except your reasoning for the red car that pulls out early in the clip. The cyclist is anticipating the car pulling out, then slamming their brakes on when they see him so he is already moving out to avoid the collision. It is a fairly common event with cars coming out of side roads. I myself would be slowing down until I'd made eye contact with the driver in that situation, but depending on the speed involved I can see why he swerved out there. He should still have stopped though

Spot on analysis. Most of these videos including on the other channels just show drivers and cyclists - clearly see the issue (or at least should have seen the issue) and continue their course as if to "prove the point". Part of being a driver is reading the road and reacting to prevent issues. I have had a dash cam for 6 or 7 years and have actually saved 3 clips in that time. 1 was a motorbike crashing in the distance, 1 was driving through a swarm of bees, the final one was a lady falling over while running on the footpath. My point is, if you drive accordingly most time you can react early enough so even bad moves by other drives can be counteracted by your actions.

Great vid. I've come to learn, both as a cyclist and a driver, that shouting at others does nothing to teach them better habits and only serves to make me more likely to make bad decisions. Great vid.

I think it depends on the person but as a cyclist, when you've had a few instances where drivers have pulled out on you or overtaken you in a dangerous way, you do go into victim mode and feel like you're being picked on. Add the fact you're vulnerable, you're maybe breathing hard and you get an adrenaline spike which can spark these reactions. It's great advice to say let it go and something we all should adhere to but I do find it hard at times and I sometimes just want the driver to know I was there. This cyclist was clearly looking to ride at his pace and stuff everyone else so he needs to learn from his videos and maybe just relax more when in town but I feel his frustration. This is slightly off topic but something I noticed recently that made me think about drivers pulling out on cyclists at junctions... I recently had a Kia as a courtesy car and the A pillar was massive, really thick. It really blocked a lot of my vision so I wonder if this accounts for many accidents?

I can see it from both sides. In a car you have the protection of a large metal box, airbags, and seatbelts... as a cyclist you have little or no protection if you were to be involved in a collision, therefore I think it's more natural to be angry if a driver has pulled out and put you at danger.

I agree completely there's wrongs on all sides. Especially what I see on the roads peoples. Driving for the most part is horrendous along with there behaviour in most cases. I'm a hgv driver and it is a daily thing for me to be sworn at and abused on the roads simply for following the law and trying to do my job. It's a real shame but I can't see it getting any better.

A lot of helmet cam and dash cam clips on youtube can easily be anticipated but the driver/cyclist often enters the situation with a mindset of "i'm in the right, i'm not changing course and i'll get a good clip out of this" Think ego plays a big role in dash cam/helmet cam clips

Yep doing that advanced ROSPA course all those years ago made me actually see lots of poor driving behaviours that I previously wasn't aware of, I just try not to stress about it and give them plenty of space these days, whether I'm in the car or on the bike

Very sound words of advice Ashley. Confrontation in any form can only lead onto road rage and, worst case scenario, someone actually getting hurt very badly. I agree that, as individuals, we are never going to change the world but the first step, surely, is to improve ourselves and ride/drive defensively. If everyone took that mindset then the improvement overall would likely become noticeable. Stay safe and sane everybody 👍.

I am a cyclist as well as a driver, so can also see both sides. I have had many people not see me, pass to close etc. Watching these clips shows me that this cyclist either has very poor anticipation skills, or he has the mind set that it his his way and he isnt giving it up for anyone, despite the fact it will probably end up causing him an injury at some point. Also teaching future driving instructors, I have had the same comments about "I didnt know peoples driving/attitude was this bad!". Could it be that up to their training, they drove like this, and didnt realise they were doing it?, so didnt see it from the other perspective?. In my book, a big problem with today's road users is that there is no further training required once the driving test has been passed, so peoples standard just deteriorates. We need to share the space with respect for all types or road users. Unfortunately (as has been seen recently with social distancing guidelines) some people have no morals or no respect for anything.

Hi Ashley, the first clip deserves a bit more consideration, the car driver could have given way as he should, the cyclist would have had to use his brakes and then used quite a lot of energy too speed up again. The oncoming vehicle had another car behind, because he went through anyway the cyclist had to slow down a bit and the second car hard to wait longer, all of which seems to me to show the first driver who was towing a large trailer was the one in the wrong and deserved a ticket for driving without due care and attention. Something very similar appears in the third clip, the impression you formed that the cyclist accelerated is not supported by the evidence, all I can see is a motorist that treats the highway as some sort of personal domain without any regard to the safety of others. The problem for me with the fourth one is that the convention of riding\driving on the left is one which we rightly expect and when someone does what the other fellow is doing your suggestion that our man simply swerve to the right is very dangerous, what if the numpty does the same thing at the last second, oh our man would be in the wrong.The last one with the Volvo coming out of the service station is the sort of thing that when you ride a bike at any sort of reasonable speed, 15 to twenty mph everything is fine as long as the car drivers behave themselves I have been in a number of close encounters and have taken violent exception to the car or bus driver, while I am very happy to yield to almost anyone at almost any time I strenuously object to other people taking liberties that expose me to significant physical harm, and even when I'm driving a car I object to being robbed of my generosity. I suppose that what I am suggesting is that because of the greater vulnerability I would think that the car drivers should be the more considerate, I know that if I was to be involved in an rta with a cyclist or pedestrian and they were badly hurt while I am unscathed I would be very upset. Worst case scenario, kill a child yet walk away!. I could not bear it! Cheers, Richard.

What a good video Ashley. I agree with you entirely, drivers of all vehicle types need to learn to share the road together. It is an easy habit to slip into being judgmental and consumed by frustration. Protect yourself and others first and arrive safely

The onus is pretty much always on the driver of the vehicle that can kill, the multi-ton box of metal, that's why you have to pass a test to be able to drive. Presumably you've seen the rabid and murderous comments from anti-cyclists on a large proportion of car driving videos?

Sometimes, the analysis is in error. e.g. clip 2 (the red car pull out). Ashley, you missed the cyclist moving left to avoid the speed bump before returning to somewhere between the primary and secondary positions. IMO this is an unintended consequence of 'traffic calming' measures. Also, instinct often tells us to head for where a conflicting vehicle isn't rather than where it won't be -- i.e. to go for the gap in front of the conflicting car even though that gap won't exist by the time we get there! It takes a lot of practice to change behaviour to aim for the back of the other vehicle -- to somewhere a gap will have opened by the time we arrive.

I'm a cyclist, motorcyclist and driver. It's annoying as a cyclist that they haven't seen you because they've put you at risk by being careless. At the same time, it also happens when I'm in the car and on my motorbike. No-one is perfect, people WILL make mistakes (being human) and it's up to me to predict and make provisions for those mistakes, fair enough. Sometimes though, they do see you and pull out anyway and expect you to adjust to them, which is really annoying and inconsiderate, therefore deserves a hand gesture! My opinion anyway..

Some people seem to forget that rule number one is 'Stay alive' and this doesn't take into account who's fault it is - insurance will do that 😋

LOL - I was about to comment about the different reg on the trailor when you asked the question!

Clip 1 - He could have held back but at the same time, the Luton Van was obstructing the oncoming traffic that perhaps should have waited. Clip 2 - Rider was late with repositioning IMO. Probably should have been centre of the lane "primary position" sooner which may or may hot have Clip 3 - Bit random, lack of observation? Clip 4 - Yellow rider not paying attention, wonder was there any conflict with the runner after this? Clip 5 - Grossly pointless overtake, classic MUST GET IN FRONT and poor planning Clip 6 - Roundabout positioning is awful and far too late. A bad attempt at straightlining. Clip 7 - I feel he moved right to give himself more braking space Clip 8 - The positioning is better here, centre of lane. The danger is equalised between the garage exit and the oncoming in the chevrons. Could have anticipated the left turn from the forecourt rather easily but didn't seem too. Reaction common, possibly unwarranted. Clip 9 - Your gardens mint

Noticed he was using a bright flashing front light, well you can be the biggest brightest vehicle on the road but people will still pull out on you, ask any emergency vehicle driver. To stay safe what ever you drive treat all other road users as blind idiots. Don't put your own safety in the hands of others it's down to you. The best safety devise you have is not what you wear or switch on its how you use what's inside your skull and when on two wheels knowing when to back off and stay calm because you're the one that's going to DIE. Been riding motorbikes and cycling all my life, yet to hit another vehicle, Stay Safe.

Totally agree with your views in the last two minutes of the video, far too many road uses too far up themselves. A good driver/rider will give others the room to make mistakes.

Really really good points about letting other's mistakes go. I was at a point where every ride would stressful because I was focusing on other's mistakes. That's not what riding a bike should be about!

There's something satisfying about when people post in footage trying to shame other road users whilst forgetting/unaware that the camera also reveals their own poor driving or riding.

Totally with you on your observations. I ride a motorbike and know how crucial good positioning can be, what I see in this video is some very poor positioning putting the rider at more risk. Basically we are all flawed apes; we have made mistakes and we will continue to do so. The trick to survival is to minimise the possibility of death or injury, in other words expect yourself or others to make a mistake and be in the right place to survive it when it happens. Shaking your fists or shouting at the other person after the event does nothing to help the situation and can only start an escalation. It's always better to think how you could avoid a situation in future EVEN IF IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT IN THE FIRST PLACE. The rider who supplied your video is simply building up risk, one day it will bite him and when it does I really really hope it's not fatal.

I have been considering getting a cycle cam myself recently after being knocked off my bicycle a couple of times in the last few years. However I do wonder if this is a good idea. Does having a camera affect how we deal with other road users? Certainly from the footage you showed and many other video cam clips seem to show cammers lose the skill to cycle or drive defensively. I suspect from the way the cyclist went up that hill he generally cycles at a much greater pace than I do and I understand in that case it could be irritating to have to slow down due to another road user making a mistake, but better that than getting involved in an accident. I also find it slightly ironic for cyclists to remonstrate with drivers when that driver makes a mistake when so many cyclists completely disregard the rules of the road. Most of the drivers in your clips today were in the wrong, but likely did so through poor observation or misjudging the cyclists speed. As a cyclist myself I cringe at the number of cyclists I see that deliberately ignore the highway code, particularly at junctions and traffic lights.

The wisdom words here "You cannot change the world" but you can improve your self. that is it.

You're right that he's not the average cyclist. Most won't be (capable of) hitting those speeds and this is also possibly a factor in the pull-outs; drivers underestimating the speed of the cyclist based on how fast they think a cyclist goes. One thing that can help is a single, bright, non-flashing LED light on the front to a) attract attention and b) at quick glance it fools drivers into thinking a motorcycle is coming for a fraction of a second - long enough for some to look again and judge the speed better. I think I've said before here that the Highway Code for cyclists and roundabouts is dangerously out of date, both for the speed of modern geared bicycles and the way modern roundabouts are arranged with specific lanes for specific exits these days. I tend to use them as a motor vehicle as I think this is safest. In clip 2, I'd have taken a central position earlier than the cam-cyclist a) to prevent cars trying to come around through a dangerous situation or to "left-hook" me, b) make myself more prominent in the road to the driver and c) show the driver that I'm definitely not going off left. Oh and also, tried for eye contact with the driver of the red car. There are lots of little things I do as a cyclist that help me control my surroundings, but even doing everything, there will still be drivers who endanger me. Sometimes you do react but I think it is difficult to understand when you haven't had that experience, there weren't any of those in the clips.

This is very similar to how a lot of new motorbike riders act. Especially if they watch some of the motorbike compilations. Often times the rider is cut up or pulled out on and the rider makes it worse because they don't back down. To these riders. I'll say something i got from a rider of 15+ years. You can either be right or you can be alive. Just give up the right of way because you can't push your weight about on 2 wheels. Same thing applies even more for cyclists. He can hold his ground and try to keep riding as if he hasn't been pulled out on Or he can wise up and just accept it slow down a little and let things be.

I confess, particularly riding a motorbike, I have tried to highlight other drivers mistakes by putting myself into harms way. These days I like to watch bad driving from a distance, keep my calm and make a mental note of a situation I might see again, in order to raise my awareness of possable risk. I know now that I am far too old to fix the world, it's more important to avoid leaving it too early.

In the second clip, I think the cyclist was moving out to the centre of the road to increase his visibility. But coincidentally the red car moved off just as he did so. I don't think it was a deliberate attempt to move at the car. I pull out a bit approaching junctions when I see cars waiting because I know through experience that they're much more more likely to see me if I'm towards the centre of the road rather than the usual position.

"I'm a keen cyclist myself", heard that so many times and it's meaningless dribble. "charges in", no, maintained speed at most is what you mean, there's a reasonable expectation that the driver would give way, yet you expect the cyclist to react instantaneously when the driver doesn't. that time frame is less than 2 seconds from the point of the car being in their (own) lane to pulling out. Now I'm sure there are some who say they can make instantaneous decisions (which is BS) but there's also the mechanical action time as well. Best scenario you're looking at 1.5s reaction time and half a second MA time. That brings you to the point at 1:43. By this point the cyclist can see there's sufficient gap to get through even though there's a trailer (even more reason not to overtake the parked vehicle as they did). Constantly getting out the way of motorists is why they take the piss all the time because might is right! Moving out to avoid the red car, that's natural ffs, you're veering away, the road is already bearing to the right in any case, veering inward toward the hazard is not natural, you don't know if they are going to simply stop and then they would slam into the stopped vehicle veering inward! "Makes things worse" there was a gap to the nearside so despite the tool of a driver not even considering waiting until they could see if the way was clear, the rider decides there was enough space, he certainly didn't speed up as you falsely claim! Your excuse of the driver not having much time to make observations is simply garbage, the driver absolutely needs to make time, you can't just blindly turn across a lane ffs! if that was an HGV they'd have been T-boned, what if it was someone on a mobility scooter going straight on, what if there was a pedestrian crossing at the top of the junction between the bollards, yeah, they would have smashed right into them!

Even if another road user is doing something they shouldn't, we still have to do our due diligence in preventing any sort of collision or incident. Even if we should have right of way, we might need to slow down to avoid a collision. This applies on two or four wheels. I cycle and I drive. I find that doing both makes me a more vigilant and courteous motorist and cyclist.

Easy answer of why he steer towards them could be a lack of ability to break. Either a skill never learned and constantly try to fix driving issues with steering or they refuse to slow down due to entitlement. The question you are asking is "when does defensive driving become aggressive driving" and "when does aggressive driving become reckless driving" ? He is observant enough of his surroundings to identify these problem people, he may be positioning himself early enough to avoid them if they happened to notice him at the last moment. But yes, when he begins berating the other drivers, he is no longer solely defending his position. In each of his scenes where he steers to overtake or towards the car's continuing path: had the car suddenly stopped and he not corrected - he would be plastered into them. Worse is the fact that there is no rear facing cam, this poor sap could be a warm meat sandwich on the road if he suddenly stopped in front of a less than attentive driver. His driving is spot on with the limited context provided.

Great video, looking at each situation from both points of view, and both sides of any argument. While I spent years cycling myself, and know only too well the dangers of not being seen by other vehicles, I do feel there are a number of 'Chris Hoy' wanna-be's who treat roads like it's their personal velodrome, forgetting there are laws to stick by.

Drivers have a license to drive a vehicle and should do so to the standard they were taught and past the test with..

Great analysis Ashley. From the first clip it was clear this cyclist had entirely the wrong mentality. His position so far from the verge showed that he expected to be able to force the car to stop and give way to him. Even though there is space to pass without conflict. He's a bully with a bike. Spot on about being a better driver too. I fell into that trap. It took a colleague pointing out that most people in cars simply can't drive to help me realise that I was getting wound up at work for to no useful purpose.

I absolutely agree, practice defensive driving and don't try to police the roads, just lead by example. There's times when cars pull out infront of me and I think that was a bit close, I could easily beep the horn but really whats the point. I think sometimes not beeping the horn can give the message - we can accommodate each other on the road just chill out a bit

Mans got a pair of legs on him though to get up higher lane that easy. Some cars even struggle with that one haha

I find that many cyclists don't slow down enough, which should solve most problems, just because it is so difficult to speed back up again. With such a physically strenuous activity, any savings in braking will be taken, especially if they are recording their ride on Strava. As a cyclist, we should be slowing down preemptively even more than we do in our cars, as we are under much higher risks.

When cycling you're reluctant to give up your hard-earned momentum. I do the same as he does at 4:46 not to prove a point but to maintain speed without undertaking. Same as at 2:35.

I have my A+B licenses but also cycle a lot so I see it from every perspective. I like how your channel highlights idiot road users regardless of car/bike/cycle. We all mess up at some point, courtesy & patience costs nothing but make using the road so much less stressful. Curious if he keeps swinging out to the centre of the road after these incidents to get his flashing front bike lights in the drivers mirrors or something to highlight he was there? Not justifying it as he always ends up in a more vulnerable position, just wondering if that was his logic! Keep up the great work anyway - thanks for sharing.

Ashley, there's a bit of victim (cyclist) blaming here - at 1.54 (the red car) the cyclist was riding defensively - he moved out to primary correctly at the junction (more often than not cars are well over the give-way lines when they see you!)