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Just a note to say your videos have really improved my driving mentality. And honestly, it’s amazing how calmer driving impacts positively on other areas of life.

I am a trolley collector at Tesco in Wellingbourgh Northamptonshire and the amount of times I'm pushing a line of trolleys and drivers just select reverse and start driving backwards and either hitting the trolleys or near misses and thankfully they are going to hit the trolleys rather than myself or my colleagues. I'm having to wave or shout that I'm behind them. It also amazes me how many people don't do their checks or just rely on the camera inside the car! I get its a tool but surely checks around the vehicle is needed too. I am very aware of every car and checking if the car is running to make sure they aren't about to move. Thank you Ashley, next time I get hit I'll shout watch Ashley Neal on KZfaq!

When I took my driving test 30 years ago I was doing a parallel park, as I was reversing I noticed that I was going to hit the curb before I straightened up, I stopped the car pulled back along the car and did it again, got it spot on this time and we carried on with the test. When we got back to the test centre and finished my highway code questions, the examiner asked me about why I pulled forward again after my first attempt at parallel parking, I mentioned that I was aware of me going to hit the curb so I pulled forward to give it another go, my examiner said because of that I'm going to pass you because not everyone would of done what I did. So thanks to my instructor Pete who taught me that.

Or be an OWL: Observe Without Limit! Another first class explanation Ashley👍

This is an area where I am constantly trying to improve. I think it is of the highest importance to acknowledge a weakness and target it, _especially_ in the case of driving. Thus, I am extremely grateful for every help I get in this area. Thank you for this very useful video Ash!

I think this is a great demo. I think that the standard of instruction, and presumably testing, is a lot higher now than in my day. The way this was demonstrated was new to me. It's why I watch your content, to improve my driving.

Excellent video Ashley as always and have learned so much watching your reversing driving skills.

Keep up the good work 👏 Ashley, I consider your videos very educational 👏 👏 👏

I'm 17, and thinking of learning to drive. Thank you for these videos, I learn a lot just by watching, and they are entertaining too.

As a pedestrian, I once had someone reverse into me as I was crossing the road. I had no idea he was intending to move but he should have seen me if he'd bothered looking around him. The real problem was the speed he moved off at. In reverse. He stopped fairly sharpish when the noise of him hitting me finally made it into the cranium. I'm of the opinion that many drivers manoeuvre far too quickly.

I do like to slow right down and do lots of checks over both shoulders when parking. I have noticed that, while most drivers are considerate in supermarket car parks, you always get those one who drive too fast, don't look, refuse to indicate and even speed over pedestrian crossings rather than stop.

Perfect, exactly what I've been struggleing with

I'm learning to drive and do these checks, my instructors car doesn't have any parking sensors or camera but my car does when doing manoeuvres in my car I had to turn off the parking sensors because they were annoying me! Thanks for another great video Ashley!

Omg how did I pass my driving license 😳 😅 I only looked at mirrors and rare camera when parking and only sometimes would glance over my shoulder. Never again! I've learnt my lesson! Thanks Ashley!

I drove fork lift trucks for much of my working life, this sort of continuous observation became second nature to me at work. Idiots would walk directly behind, in front, underneath raised forks in order to keep up pick rates. Of course they weren’t meant to, but as the driver it was down to me to stop until safe. So my pick rate went down. Even had “them” coming into ares chained off, when I was operating VNA !!

They say "every day is a school day". Having been driving for 40 years, if I was ever taught the "six point check method" I've forgotten it. Will put that into practice straight away. Thank you very much.

Thank you for highlighting the key point that speed is relative to observations. If you can’t observe quickly then speed should be slower. I know of a few on here, like myself in a previous incarnation of employment, drive vehicles with no rear window and back when I was driving them no rear camera either so observations on approach and slow reverse with good mirror and “out the driver window” looking was key for being safe for everyone. There was always at one a month that would have there head in another dimension and would walk behind but luckily I always saw them Happy Saturday everyone and hope the roads are clearing well for those that have had snow and ice recently

I often ask the student “what can you see?” You do often find they look but don’t take in what’s actually around them 😂

Hi bAshley, yesterday morning I took a basket of laundry to the Laundrette during a spectacular snow storm, I dad a lot of difficulty using the side mirrors on the van because they kept getting covered in snow!, further compounded by the condensation on the inside, when I got to the shop I did my usual thing of reversing into the small car park and driving out onto the street again to park at the kerb, as I looked in the mirrors my first thought was that I really could not see much but had to make a quick decision, it was clear as I came past and there were no pedestrians, if I stayed where I was for too long the chances of somebody turning up out of sight increased so I did the turn as quickly as I could!. The whole exercise was a good example of that standard thing where the shortest journeys can be the most hazardous!. It was also a stark reminder of just how much I depend on good clear vision of my surroundings. At this point I feel I should point out that the van I have been driving for the last fifteen years in a small one with no rear windows of inside mirror this makes checking what is behind me more or less impossible! I have to rely on observations made as I pass before doing any reversing. Cheers, Richard.

Nice demo. This is virtually the same to how I was taught to drive. I think the risks of hitting another car or person in a car park is actually very high…people seem to “switch off” and fall into a false sense of security, wether they are on foot or behind the wheel. I mean, what can happen in a car park? Answer: lots. Reversing alongside the kerb has changed with newer cars, and some more than others…to the way you describe in the video. Many cars inc mine are a bit of a fat pig design at the back to max out interior space-I have learned since getting this one some 3+ years ago, the back wheel needs to look like it’s about to touch the kerb before I straighten up. Sensors front + back and a backup camera with Wide angle mode is a massive aid. Just today I was parked front in at a bay with a massive new discovery one side and a transit van the other. The only way I could see left & right was with the backup camera on wide angle. Btw before anyone says…reverse in/drive out….on this specific example you can’t. The other end is a kerb And the edge of steep bank which drops away to the main road below….nowhere to stand & load.

here's a hack for consideration: if you're nose in to a building with a glass front, you can use the glass as a mirror, as well. specially useful if you're in a low car, and a couple taller vehicles are alongside.

Great video. I notice you didn't reference the rear view camera, presumably because a camera is not always present or could be obscured by muck. I find the camera very useful, especially since it has a wide angle lense thus allowing me to see to either side of the car. It's easy to include the rear camera in the observations (just dip the eyes when looking forward) but important not to fixate on it.

Nice video

Great vid as always. Something that has bugged me, how come we are taught to use the rear window view when reversing. What would happen in a panel van?

I've driven outside the UK in over 25 different countries for around 70,000 miles. Never did any of what Ash is doing in the video and never had any accidents or even small incidents, touch wood. When I moved here I had to pass the driving test to convert my license, and I had to learn these observations Ash is talking about. They are useful to pass the test but in my opinion they can be distracting in real life, and now I'm having to unlearn some of these things. I believe the best is to do these observations unconsciously or covertly without making any visible movements that the instructor/examiner could see but nevertheless, as the anecdotal experience suggests, I never put anyone in danger due to lack of observations, but now with these newly acquired skills I find myself second-guessing myself which is not good. Sometimes less is more. IMO, I need to get rid of this over-observation habit.

It’s not just a camera in a modern car, it’s also sensors that detect other conflicting objects and audible warnings. My car screams at me if there is anything in the vicinity and has a total conniption if there is a car, bike or pedestrian moving.

Not having any parking sensors, I spend my time doing all these checks and manoeuvre one way then manoeuvre another way in between parked cars . However when I leave my car I find I STILL park sqinty 😖

Ash, what'd you think about these cctv/reversing camera setups with the reversing aids on the screen? I've been in vehicles with other family members who have them and use them to help them reverse park etc, but they seem fixated on soley using this aid to the exclusion of performing any actual observation ! (I've refrained from being the 'back-seat driver' for the sake of avoiding an argument but also, making my own observations whilst they manoeuvre as a fail-safe check for them.)

Hi Ash. The idea just came to my mind, could it be possible for us to see a pov driving video if it's legal in the UK. I feel it would be a great example of how you would drive on a daily basis. It would kind of fit into the "how to drive like an instructor video". I think it would show a much better perspective. 😀

Even with good observations (I have no reverse camera,so observations are key) you still can get caught out like I nearly did. A child left her bike on the floor in a busy supermarket car park. Mirrors and all window (I have 8 inc the windscreen) observations did not pick up the bike on the ground and I nearly reversed onto it.

That pov cam was pretty cool...

4:33 not stare, but driving a van I probably spend a higher proportion of manoeuvring time looking at my mirrors - along with all sorts of head angles for the passenger side 🙂 7:56 interesting interpretation of hands-free mobile phone use...

How where camera/sensors on newer cars come into the mix or are they all switched off for new drivers?

Once upon a time I popped into my bank. The guy parked at the back of the taxi rank right outside reversed without looking. And slammed straight into a pedestrian.

I've found the most powerful attraction in the universe isn't gravity. it's a car going into reverse. more seriously, I've found over the years, that people in car parks often stop observation altogether. which makes proper observation all the more important.

My test Centre 20 years ago didn’t have a car park so I didn’t get taught to bay park 😂

I was walking through a car park for a local park when this van/estate type vehicle suddenly started to reverse quickly towards me. I had to quickly step away from it and also shout a warning otherwise it would have hit me. There was no excuse for the driver as there were no obstructions blocking their view of me walking behind. The driver was then extremely rude and aggressive as they presumably did not take too well my warning shout. I said to them politely that they need to be better at their observation skills before moving away. That was like a red flag to a bull. They jumped out of their vehicle and wanted to, as they put it, 'smack my head in'. Frankly such poorly skilled drivers with such an aggressive attitude should not be allowed the privilege to drive ever - lifetime ban. It is a privilege, not a right. The more people realise this and get dealt with appropriately, the safer our roads will become.

Ashley, is hands steering past 12 o'clock at ANY time still a NO NO?.. or, as in your video, allowed when reversing/manouvering?

I once saw some dude pull in front of a space, stick his head out of the window then start speeding backwards into the spot. No other observations.

Just as well I don't drive, my neck was hurting just watching! How do those with limited neck mobility cope?

It's miserable how many modern cars force to do the sweeping 'heron look' behind driver's A-pillar.

I don't know how to parallel park. My driving instructor asked if that was something I was interested in learning, but I refused as I would never use it. He then asked what I would do if I was asked to do it on my driving test, and answered, as I'd already been instructed to do, that I would reject the suggestion based on my lack of knowledge. We were instructed during the theory classes that refusing to do a maneuver would be better than attempting and failing, as it would show that you know your limitations.

If I had a £1 for each time I've seen someone reversing while turning left, but staring fixedly out of the right side window, or even the windscreen!

The biggest problem with manoeuvring a modern vehicle is the ridiculously sized A, B and C pillars that form a significant obstruction to any visibility. Our Skoda Superb is one of the better vehicles on the road for visibility but I still can't see vehicles approaching from the right on two local obliquely set junctions. The B pillar is in the way and so is the seat back/headrest leaving just a narrow vertical slit to look through that gives a dangerously small angle of view, no amount of painful contortion helps the situation and I have on occasion chanced pulling out as I was not confident in that I had seen everything. On the other hand my 1974 VW Beetle has slim pillars that cause me no trouble at all. God only knows how some car drivers of other models cope. I suspect that modern car designers are so fixated by style that they forget that people have to drive their cars - it is after all a founding principle of ownership. Maybe that is why there is a greater reliance on reversing cameras. I often use the principles of observation that I first learnt in driving a commercial van although the range distortion of modern side mirrors now makes that risky.

I bet most people have seen the classic fender bender, where two cars backing out of diagonally opposite car park bays have reversed into each other. They both then claimed their view was clear and the other person wasn't looking. Neither of them liked it when I said I would fill in a witness report, for both of their insurers, stating that neither made sufficient observations and manouvered too quickly. Only wish I had caught it on my dashcam. btw that mobile loving cyclist, letting the two wheelers down again.

Any tips for van drivers?

Life was so much easier in a 80's fiesta popular plus.😄

7:53 OMG.... :X

I used to drive vans and lorries,you get used to not being able to look over your shoulder and relying on your mirrors.

The "speed of observation" is critical. That's very reassuring: I thought my 360-degree checking rate was just a nervous disposition! (I'm occasionally taken aback by people reversing out of a parking bay using ONLY their internal mirror. What in God's name are they thinking?!)

You may well be related to an owl. Most of us aren't. I never do this. I use my mirrors and my camera's I never look behind as I can't revolve my neck as much. I would also be very dizzy. I used to do this in my old car in the 70S as it only had a central mirror. Wing mirrors were only on luxury cars. Motorbikes did not have mirrors at all.

Hi

In my experience, "walking away from my vehicle" is no guarantee. Peole can change direction in and situational awareness appears very poor on average.

I genuinely got motion sick 😫

I’d need neck surgery and 15 mins to recover from brain shake . All that for two car lengths. Best bang it into reverse and stare at phone. That works for them

Good one. Need to spend less time looking at rear camera.

Hi :)

Hi Ash, 8 mins in.. Did you see the handfree cyclist on their phone?

A horrible fashion in modern car designs is thick pillars and the tendency for high waistlines. Also add in such shallow sloping front windscreen that the A-pillars really do impinge on visibility when cornering ... Modern car design may be more aerodynamic, and thus slightly more fuel efficient, but cars are becoming increasingly difficult to drive safely, or manoeuvre with accuracy. How many SUV with such high screens in the doors and rear do you see parked with a wheel up the curb? Too many for sure ... They days of the Volvo 200 and 700 series with their great visibility have long gone. And you could easily see all four corners for ease with parallel parking and turning into a narrow entrance. In so many modern cars the furthest forward you can see is the top pf the dash-board! So that young modern drivers have a much harder time than we did forty years ago with such as the old Volvos or the Mini Clubman Estate. Love your videos. Best wishes from George

People think observations are only about what the car is doing.

I generally teach my students when doing observations to have a pregnant pause so they are seeing and not just looking.

"Keep your head on a swivel."

If you are travelling faster than your observations, not only can you miss something........ Worst case Scenario; you hit someone or something. Stay safe out there 👍

Pedestrians should be equally vigilant of moving vehicles, especially in car parks.

Deleted my original comment, people misunderstood what i meant. I'll just play it safe and agree that observing is good and i do it also. Just not as much as this, this is more to pass your test.

Why would you ever reverse into a parking bay? Just why? Nearly everybody does it, very poorly I might add. Nobody has been able to explain to me why they do it.

I'm always appalled by the amount of people I see who only reverse using their mirrors (i.e. they don't bother at all with looking over their shoulders). Some even brag about it, as if it somehow illustrates their "superior" driving skills, rather than it showing their arrogance and ego. That makes no more sense to me than someone saying "I always close one eye when I'm driving, because I'm so good that I don't need to use two"!