The reality is most people with driving licences are not really fit to drive. They can get through their tests by deceit and temporary obedience. But as soon as they're out on their own, all the standards just ebb away. Most people never check their blind spots, properly look, and definitely don't plan ahead.
And the worst of it all, it's the same people who blame others when it all goes wrong. I absolutely hate the phrase "right of way" because people seem to take it as a get out of jail free card. You can have right of way and still be a numpty.
If you compare it to a Private Pilots License for flying a little piston engined aircraft the driver's license is a joke. Your aircraft rating is only valid for 2 years, and to keep it renewed you need to fly at least 1 hour with an instructor in the year before expiry. The amount of damage you can do with a car is only marginally less than with a light aircraft.
I think you're being a bit harsh there. From personal experience, I see it more like a bell curve with most drivers being somewhat ahead of the acceptable standard but would still benefit from further training (that standard does not align with the middle of the curve). There is an unpleasantly large minority who fall below an acceptable standard though, and, others' occasional mistakes notwithstanding, these substandard drivers cause a disproportionate number of incidents.
I think in the last clip, the POV driver must have thought the red vehicle was joining into lane 2. Otherwise, it makes zero sense to me why they would a) not slow down earlier and b) not check lane 2 to prepare for an overtake. I'm always wary of staying at speed for the overtake, however, because I've seen far too many drivers pull out into lane 1 and, just at the crucial time, move back into lane 2 for absolutely no reason!?!!?
It takes about 1.5 seconds, time you don't really have in that situation, to check lane 2 is clear and move over safely. Not anticipating the hazard is poor, but it's more than reasonable to harsh-brake because you know that will keep you alive, whereas a sharp dive into lane 2 at the wrong moment might result in disaster.
@@almightyhydra As I said, I don't like going for the overtake in this situation for that very reason. I certainly wasn't suggesting a swerve at the last moment. -The time needed to check around comes from the time it takes for a committed vehicle to cross on to our side of the road.- Actually, I forgot it wasn't in a side street but entering from the central reservation. I still think there's enough time to check.
5:40 - yeah. Ive been in the wrong lane in heavy traffic like that before... I fix it by going where the lane I'm in goes, and find a way back around. With GPS apps everywhere these days, it isn't an issue.
2:15… rented van… that a very good point, an experienced Van driver will often park in such a way to make leaving easier, where as someone less experienced will focus on parking 1st and then how they are going to leave will be an after thought.
Having driven small vans for around half a million miles in the past, my take on the first clip is as follows: First, I wouldn't have parked fully on the pavement like that but assuming I wanted to make a similar manouvre for whatever reason, I would have pulled fully across the oncoming lane with full left lock on, attempting to get to 90 degrees across it, so I could see the other lane then (once clear and safe) driven into that lane on full right lock as though I had emerged from a tight junction. It's significantly more effort but well worth it.
The big thing you've shown is your not a lazy corner cutter. Most people don't want to use the steering wheel and cut corners turning in and pulling out and people also like to steer way too early. Obviously in a panel van the second your turn one direction your view in the opposite direction starts to shrink rapidly and its no good going out blind which is what your method the right one prevents from happening. I've driven buses and currently drive artics and the view out of a bus especially the newer ones is superior to that of almost any panel van. In an artic there is space to hide a panel van if you're not on the ball with checking the blindspot mirrors.
I made a mistake once entering a roundabout - there was a biker fully hidden behind my A pillar the entire time while I was moving. I never saw that biker until he was in my rear view mirror after he piled on the brake. Since, I always double check for blind spots - I was lucky on that occasion, it could have been a lot worse.
You must have seen the biker after he got out of your A pillar blind spot. A biker moving from the pillar to the rear of my vehicle I'd find it impossible not to see a biker alongside me. Even in peripheral vision I'd see him as I pass him.
@@RichO1701e In what the OP described puts the onus on himself for not driving without due care and attention. Do you think the biker should be watching the drivers approaching the roundabout that paying attention to all his surroundings? Only shit drivers think the ones on the roundabout must give priority to those onto the roundabout. Who was it made the mistake? Read the first 4 words from the OP It might give you a clue.
0:14 A forty five degrees van on the offside cannot see in our direction. It is a self-drive hire vehicle possible being hired by a car driver who never dives vans. We are on a harder to see motorcycle. The van is closing down our space in an obvious hold back and stop if necessary situation.
Phone zombie has just come off a big pedestrianised main street. It's fairly common to have people crossing blindly at that point and there should be a better crossing put in. Locals are used to it though, and the cars parked on the crossing further up.
Its ironic but down to a point the smaller vans and lorries actually have more than the big ones because they simply don't get fitted with proper blindspot mirrors etc.
I drive a tiny car. I'm often amazed at other drivers so close behind larger vehicles. Do they have no common sense? I hang back to be safe and someone nips in front where they're now invisible to the lorry 🤦♀️
E for the driver of the last clip is harsh, the red car coming in to lane one instead of staying in lane 2 was a wildly dangerous and unusual move. I would have given the red car an F for coming in front for no reason at that slow a speed and the driver D+ or C-
If the cammer in the last clip was scanning behind them they would have know whether lane 2 was clear and allowed themselves to overtake the terrible driver of the red car without having to brake. I've had cars pull out on my at similar junctions before and I've always made sure I've got my space available for a lane change if needed. The cammer just didn't seem to be concentrating at all.
Only just two or so minutes in and another thing folk can do is listen for traffic. While I doubt it would have helped much for the van driver in this particular situation due to how busy it was, they may have potentially heard the motorcyclist coming. Joining a road is a bit like crossing one. Stop. Look. And listen. You'd be surprised how helpful winding your window down a bit can help give you an idea of what's going on (and use any reflective surface to see as well if you can. Shop windows may show oncoming traffic or hazards).
Funny enough I was going to ask Ashley if he could do a video about those, window open a bit, turn volume down, use reflective surfaces, wait a sec… don’t just go through. ❤
@@RichO1701e I have definitely heard a few motorcycles before seeing them. You definitely get diminishing returns though. Just the other day somebody (on foot) almost ran into my electric car on a busy street because they did not hear me. Been thinking of installing a more obnoxious low speed noise: like hoofbeats.
Ashley, the van at 2:37 is a different vehicle to the one at 0:13 which has "Enterprise" signwriting on it! 6:08 - Been there, done that, waited about there then using a right turn signal as "help, made a mistake..." and these vehicles as place markers I was allowed out by the driver in the position of the white van 2 back in the RH lane. 7:37 - 4WD gets an F or maybe a G in any circumstance other than a dead engine. Since the 4WD is not displaying hazard lights your cammer gets an E for overtaking a stopped rather than clearly broken down vehicle on zigzags.
Regarding the first clip, a top tip if anybody rents a panel van/drives one for the first time. If you approach a junction with a bit of an angle on it, and you're turning right (in the UK), turn hard left at the last minute so you're perfectly square with the junction. Otherwise, it's impossible to see approaching traffic from the left.
A company in London fitted a window in the left side panel behind the door. They were then charged purchase tax as a car and not a van. Yet the police were advertising for safer driving.
I'll add something on the 2nd clip, the space. I'm sure that people have this mindset of, if there's space for 2 vehicles, even if there's just 1 lane, they can merge and traffic will go around them. The reality is, you've no idea what they're doing and assume they're just gonna pull in front of you, making the situation look like ignorance or bullying to get in when they have tried to factor you in. Had this happen a few times on the A61 north of Alfreton with the joining B6025. People join thinking there's a slip to merge in, but no, they have a giveway, its 1 lane and traffic is going too quick for them to join safely.
On the point of the space left by the driver may have invited the pedestrian to walk out, I encounter this quite regularly. I always try to leave a reasonable gap between myself and the person in front (which has saved me from crashing into them on several occasions when they have suddenly stopped without warning), but it does tend to invite people to try stupid maneuvers. People trying to force their way into the lane in a dangerous way, or like in the case of the video, people walking out in front of me without paying much attention. It is tricky because the space is what has saved me in those situations, but I wonder if the situation would have happened in the first place had I not left the space to begin with.
With the first clip, there is no guarantee that just because it is a hire van that the driver doesn’t have a lot of experience. A lot of companies now use hire firms for their fleets as it can be cheaper than alternative leasing options However, it still doesn’t mean the driver will take care as “it isn’t their vehicle” so it doesn’t matter if a dent or scratch appears. That just gets written off by the company accountant as “an acceptable insurance loss”
as a counterpoint: if you assume the driver is inexperienced and you are wrong, the consequences are less severe than if you assume the driver is experienced and you are wrong.
That last clip is a couple of miles from where I live, and that junction is a b*gger to get out of. There is often a queue waiting to join the main road and a couple of those waiting in the central reservation area, and there can sometimes be some pressure on drivers to “get on with it”. Doesn’t excuse that poor emerge though. There is an alternative route via Gleneagles that uses a flyover, but it’s a bit of a detour. It’s always best to go that way when it’s busy but it didn’t look that busy here so it’s a mystery why the other driver emerged into lane 1 like that.
About the clip that starts at around 5:00. There's really only 2 possibilities for that usage pattern between the left and right lane: The left one is a left turn lane and everyone else wants to go mostly straight, or the right lane is a right turn lane and nobody wants to go straight. Given that there's a bridge right beyond the upcoming junction, it's more probable that this is all traffic trying to pass that choke point. I won't pretend that's basic common sense, but a bit of "advanced common sense" could have avoided that exercise in asking to be let in.
Clip 2 is from the A303, just down from Chicklade. To get on the London bound side from the services you have to emerge and a lot of people get caught out by the oncoming vehicle's speed.
That first clip, I've had situations like this on my motorcycle and I've anchored on and almost come to a stop. Given their initial angle of attack, my presumption would be that they're attempting a U-turn. Something very common in a location near me, a busy hotspot with a small Tesco and Co-Op and plenty of takeaway's where people park on both sides in both directions.
There is a road near me with a few trades people businesses that have small car parks, but those car parks usually contain overflow stock that can’t be kept inside so there are often vans parked on the right facing the wrong way First sign of brakes lights or indicators and I am slowing down ready for them to move off. Generally it is 50/50 for those that just pull away and those that will slowly pull away…and I drive a car not ride a bike so if they can’t see me then there is very little chance of being seen on two wheels Self preservation should be a must for everyone but unfortunately there are some that feel that being in the right trumps that, especially when a GoPro (other alternatives are available) is strapped to the helmet Take care out there
I've had an "interesting", somewhat comparable situation: there's a bus lane which has a loading bay in it, which was clear, and a set of traffic lights I was waiting at. Lights change, waiting traffic and I move off, and from the opposite direction, at the last minute, a van decides to dive into the bay, presumably with the thought of not holding people up in both directions... and into my path. Was no big issue at least, such is life... With respect to the horn comment for the second clip, I probably would have suggested shorter sharp bursts - more likely to get attention, and less likely to seem like a telling off, rather than a "you need to notice me" warning. - Even better, considering a small "hi there" beep-beep when you spot someone who likely won't notice you (have done this at a junction where I could see the bonnet of a waiting car, but not the driver, who almost certainly would not have spotted me - though they didn't move in the end, but at least it's an extra warning of presense!
0:27 you’re not allowed to cross a solid white line and enter a hatched area unless it’s an emergency, the only exception is on a single carriageway at the end of an overtaking lane where 2 lanes reduce to 1 and you’re crossing the solid white line to enter the hatched area for any of the reasons mentioned for double white lines (accessing property, entering a side road, passing a stationary vehicle, overtaking a cyclist horse or road maintenance vehicle doing 10mph or less), that’s the only exception.
With the first two clips, I agree with Ashley's point about use of the horn. The seconds clip showed that the horn made the driver pulling out react and move to the right of the lane and require a lot less drastic reaction from the cammer. If the cammer in the first clip had used their horn the van driver would have likely corrected their error and stopped. Too many drivers are shy to use their horn when it could be vital in making the other road user making the error to correct themselves, instead of having to take far more drastic measures to avoid a collision.
The phone zombie didn't help by wearing dark clothes without any reflectors. A 3€ reflector is the cheapest life/traffic insurance on the planet. Fairly common accessory here in Finland. I have one for every limb and my main backpack has one to each side and two towards back.
2:48 A303 near West Knoyle, Starbucks. Wiltshire. The Mercedes emerging from the median, obviously, did not do good enough obsevations. He just "target fixated" on the first car (the one in front of the viewer's/ cameer's car) and moved prematurely out onto the eastbound lane without checking more thorougly if there were more cars following behind.
The one that gets me scratching my head every time is when there are temporary road works with light that cause long queues and the traffic waiting to go thorough cover the turns to the left blocking anyone oncoming from turning right across into that road. It just snarls everything. How hard is it watching the car in front and waiting to see if there is room in front not to block it. You also get the ones who leave a tiny gap so those turning are struggling and potential could scrape your car. Do people just follow the car in front and have no awareness of anything else? We have had this on a busy road for weeks now and every time this is happening. You just need to stop for a second watch those in front bunch up and if there is a gap move across that left turn.
Any vehicle emerging from the right, whether that be from a side road or simply parked up, always expect that you haven’t been seen Observation is a skill that is just about remebered for the test and largely forgotten about once passed
The problem with van/truck rental companies is that people, on the whole, who rent such vehicles have no experience or training! I've driven many such vehicles, great and small, and can tell you it is very different to daily driving a Nissan Micra! That's all I'm saying about the Enterprise clip!
Clip 1 enterprise van Yep van should have reversed back into the garage and pulled out normally. Alt option, reverse back, turn the other way-go round the roundabout. My neighbour won’t do that sort of thing…even when the street has parked cars making going one direction difficult from the driveway….(we live on a block at the half way point)…says it wastes fuel.
2nd clip is very local to me, A303 at Willoughby hedge, horrible junction at busy times, not excusing the merc though. I tend to avoid it and use the A350 junction a bit further down the road.
Situational awareness is a great thing, knowing who is where and when gives you options in an emergency. You got mirrors and a twisty neck, use them all the time😉.
As a holder of both licences and knowing how inept we all know mirrors are we all need to anticipate and fix errors. It coss you nothing to roll off the gas, flash someone out etc.
Dont flash them out, just leave space for them to make the decision if its safe to go. if you flash them out and they crash with another vehicle, you directed traffic and are technically responsible as you said it was safe to go by flashing. i got a broken leg from a vehicle that flashed its lights and left a gap while i was filtering past traffic, got hit side on. i was young at the time, pain was a good teacher, now i know to slow down filtering past junctions and make sure i have been seen.
@@douglasreid699 I agree on not flashing people in most cases there are occasions when it can be helpful but for most instances it causes more problems rather than help as usually the person being let out dithers about and you end up wishing you'd just carried on or they just gun it and end up nearly crashing or crashing. Even just leaving a gap when in traffic once whilst I was driving a bus I had a van turn in too quick to see a cyclist that I had thankfully saw coming up the bike lane, the only reason they didn't crash was because I beeped the horn the cyclist also thanked me for it. If I am thinking about letting someone out I also always check my mirrors before doing so as often you see something that would make it unsafe to do and you can then just forget it and proceed.
Clip 2, know that junction well people get stuck there for ages so take risky decisions, always seems to be littered with bits of broken cars. Regular users of that road know to use the B road and join the A303 about a mile east where it is safer.
Following other cars at night thru a busy narrow town and someone walks out…. If you’re doing the correct speed you can stop. Leaving the gap (might not be as much as it looks-camera effect)….allows you to often keep the car rolling, avoiding harsh stop-start driving. Modern cars are seemingly going that way. Indicating… Followed a scooter last week/end with its left turn signal going for several miles. It’s like, are u turning, are you turning, are you turning, are you turning. A local person wrote on a local FB group how they followed a mk1 Yaris with one of its signals constantly going, for 8 miles…. I mean how can you not know?
Driving a large van myself, there is a terrible blind area on the passenger side. I try to always position myself at an angle to reduce this risk as much as possible.
I used Car Virtical , but it didn't alert me to a drop in mileage at the last MOT. It said it was ok. When i questioned it with them they said, oh it was probably just a human error. But it still should have been flagged up, it shouldn't be down to the person paying to check the results.
nothing is perfect, mistakes will be made. you are 1 of very few that has had problems from the thousands of users that use car vertical and it works fine for them. what makes a company is how they respond to problems. were you satisfied with the customer service to fix your problem? you could have checked the MOT for free first before using car vertical. thats what i tend to do while trying to buy myself a van currently, try all the free options before spending money.
Phone Zombie is the term I have been using for some time. Ashley would have a field day looking at a lot of the American/Canadian dashcam channels. They choose to crash instead of avoid, because they have the right of way!
The best example I saw of the "It's my right of way, I'm not stopping" from America, was a driver of a pickup truck, heading to a crossroads, that was a 4-way stop. The driver saw another truck approacking from the left, and shouted "YOU BETTER STOP, BECAUSE I AINT" The other truck was at the 10 o'clock position on screen, and remained at that angle, while the camera driver just carried on driving. Yep, bigger and bigger on screen, constant angle / position. The outcome was obvious, and inevitable. Both driver, argued with each-other, saying that "They had right of way" and it was the other driver who blew the stop sign, causing the collision. One of the finest driving fail videos, ever.
I'm glad I took the Advanced Drivers Course as it taught me defensive driving skills. It also lowered my insurance premium and kept it low by no accidents. Dad always said: Be sure not dead sure.
Had one of these situations the other day. 50mph dual carriageway with a short slip road from a side road, the kind where you stop on the slip road if you haven't got room to safely enter. Car comes onto the slip road, slows down as if it's stopping, then pulls out right in front of me. I manage to sort it fairly quickly since I was at least keeping an eye on it, but my first thought after that was that I should have anticipated it more
In the clip at 6:31 I generally tend to just admit defeat, turn left, find somewhere safe to turn around and come back, adding a few minutes onto my journey, but inconveniencing nobody but myself with my mistake. It’s lucky in this clip that the other two drivers in the left turn lane were also in the wrong lane so the cammer wasn’t holding them up
Clip 1. Many vans have appalling blind spots. I don't understand how they can continue to get Type Approval unless fitted with extra mirrors to reduce this sort of thing. Other road users need to be aware that unless they can see the van drivers face in the van's mirror, they are invisible. No, the van diver should not have put themselves in this position, but stuff happens sometimes, and as it is a hire van, the driver may never have driven one before. Clip 3. The driver using lane 1 was acting correctly. There is no indication it is for Left Turn Only until the road marking is visible. Isn't this similar to a Merge in Turn situation?
Yes. The road authorities are responsible to put the signage far back enough to account for queuing. They failed. The driver is entitled to stop at the sign and immediately change lane at that point. That is the soonest he could be expected to take that lane.
In the last clip 9:10 for some reason in KMH but it 73 MPH and even goes up to 119KMH 74 MPH and it has average speed camera's on that road so they must have gotten a speeding ticket i know some cars it can be few MPH above what is shown in the dash as not that accurate but 4MPH more i think is a bit much and they are desperate for fines now so even 1 MPH over they are getting people.
In the second clip does the cammer just stop or do they indicate right? I dont see any flashing being reflected from other traffic, mind you they do seem to be sitting their with their stop lights on. 8:14, cammer is very slow to react to the pedestrian, A-, wow that's a bit high
I was driving a new van the other day and 'squared off' a junction so as to be able to see both ways, and be seen. Imagine my surprise then when the car following me pulled in front of me at the junction, using the space on my right. Cheeky sod!
The first few months of having my driver's license I drove around in a van (a max-length Citroen Jumper cargo van that once carried wine boxes). On one hand it was pretty dangerous for me to be driving that with as little experience as I had at that point, but on the other hand it was the absolute best learning experience anyone could ever have. I very quickly learned to give myself the visibility I need, including backing into driveways to be able to turn around, opening the window to lean out, and even getting out entirely to make sure I had the space to go somewhere. The rear-view visibility was negligible, the inside mirror was blocked fully and the side mirrors didn't bring anything behind the van into view whatsoever, and this was before the time of reversing cameras. While I wouldn't recommend anyone buy a vehicle like this just for learning, it really is an experience everyone should have, because it teaches you a lot about when you are or aren't visible to other road users.
Those big vans sound like ones that should be restricted to say age 21 or 3 years experience if we get graduated driving licenses coming in in a year or two.
@@mattwardman So, electrical apprentices, won't be able to drive the van, then? It's common to send the helper in the van to pick something up. It's why job adverts for school leaver apprentiships will say "You will be expected to obtain your driving license at the earliest oppotuinty" Don't make things harder for the trades. Not everyone works in an office, and van drivers are not all idiots.
@@mattwardman you really don't gain much from that. Too many reasons for someone who doesn't meet those criteria yet to have a reason to have to drive one (i.e. work), and it's no more dangerous than a normal vehicle. It just teaches you very quickly to guesstimate available space and keep a close eye on people around you as they disappear from view quickly. I think anyone who can't do that would be hesitant to drive a van anyway.
@@johnbooth5199 It's not a question of whether it makes it harder for the trades. It's a question of whether it makes it safer on the roads. If the data says that it is inappropriate for 17 year olds or new license holders to drive such large vehicles, then the option for employers to make 17 year olds drive them should not be available. I don't see the problem here, tbh. Checking I see that 70% of van insurance policies do not permit drivers at age 17, and 30% require a minimum age of 21. That's a start pf data supporting my suggestion.
@@mattwardman I forsee problems, because while i didn't learn to drive, until my 40s, I used to assist the van driver, back when i did furniture. I quickly learnt that panel vans have poor visibility, and acted as spotter, in the passenger seat. When I learnt to drive, my instructor taught me to be cautious of approaching vans, because of their lack of vision. Companies that have a requirement to have their employees drive company vehicles, will simply not employ anyone who does not have the required experience to drive a van. You cannot expect an employer to drop the driving requirement, if it is a necessary part of the job. Like with HGVs, if you can't see the driver, either directly or through the mirrors, then they cannot see you. When I'm on the road, in my small car, I'm well aware that I can get hidden from view to other drivers, especially larger vans, and HGVs, so I avoid putting myself in potential blindspots - never loiter next to HGVs.
That was a good one. Nice and varied conditions but the same principles. But how about the clarity of the Viofo dashcam at night!! Amazingly clear. I’m gonna have to get one of those.
In the first clip, the motorcyclist's desire for instant rebuke could have caused an accident. They deliberately stopped the flow for everyone to deliver their drama.
The clip at 8:32: that could very well have been a telling off (by the car stopping) for the close following distance. The stop when indicating right, then indicate left, then continue and use the hazards (followed by the cammer flashing their lights angrily and more use of hazards). Honestly, I would not be surprised if there was more that happened before this.
3:16 once again, like the previous clip, you’re not allowed to cross a solid white line and enter a hatched area unless it’s an emergency, the only exception is on a single carriageway at the end of an overtaking lane where 2 lanes reduce to 1 and you’re crossing the solid white line to enter the hatched area for any of the reasons mentioned for double white lines (accessing property, entering a side road, passing a stationary vehicle, overtaking a cyclist horse or road maintenance vehicle doing 10mph or less), that’s the only exception, very poor driving from both.
I'm not from the UK so not quite aware of your specific rules of the road, but regarding the last clip: I couldn't see any signs indicating a temporary speed limit around that junction. Had a look at the location on google maps and couldn't see any there either. The cam car is going through there maintaining almost 120kph. I feel like that's fast for such a traffic situation. In the Netherlands there would be a temporary lower speed limit (not that we have these kinds of junctions onto a bloody motorway in the first place). So now I'm wondering, is there no lower speed limit in this situation? If not, do you think there should be? If yes, how can I recognize it? And also if yes, the cam car is an even worse offender. Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable taking my unaltered motorway speed into a situation where a stationary car could be turning onto 'my' piece of road.
The first clip demonstrates why using the horn can make a difference, but shouldn't be relied on as the sole remedy. That emerge was avoidably hazardous before the van moved a millimetre.
I think it's a great example of only parking facing the same direction of traffic. Setting off from the wrong side seriously increases risk with limited visibility and having to navigate another lane.
This is where I grew up and most people coming out there sit in the fast lane after joining it's ridiculous it's an open section of road as well making it easy to see things coming it's also an average speed camera section so unlike to have people tanking it up the dual carriageway
@@ianmason. yep! maybe the pedestrian thought Rule H2 would apply there, but I don't think it would as it looks to be a sharp bend rather than a junction.
I did buy a VIOFO Dashcam but your links didn't work because I'm in Canada. But I gotta say I'm impressed for the price. Great bang for the buck and the dashcam works amazingly. Shoulda got it years ago. Every other dashcam I bought was subpar.
Does anyone know what the pedestrian is gesticulating about at 8:20 ? He seems to be implying the zigzags or yellow box markings give him priority (I don't understand this), or is he trying to imply the road is going from minor to major for the cammer and so he should give way? (also seems wrong, it looks like there's no give way for the cammer). I think the cammer should've slowed / stopped earlier for sure but I really don't understand the pedestrian's viewpoint and I feel like I'm missing something!
Hello, I submitted this clip. This also confused me what they were gesturing. I think they were gesturing for me to stop. Also the road I was on is the A40 and that "left turn" is actually just following the road. There is not pedestrian crossing or road markings. It's just a popular spot for people to cross. It doesn't come across well but it was much darker than the video shows and I only saw there legs when they walked in frot of me. 😅 But I should be more alert as I know it's a popular spot for pedestrians
@@josephrobertson4424 Cheers for submitting the clip! It's certainly an interesting one. I guess it's a lesson about how sometimes some junctions just have horrid pedestrian desire-paths through them and we just have to accommodate, I suppose! His attitude was rubbish but I'm glad yours was better! :)
I remember a government advertisment way back encouraging pedestrians "to wear something white at night". The guy absorbed in his phone looked like he was on an SAS night raid. Well done for spotting him.
First time i've saw a clip and instantly recognised where it is from - the first clip is in Cannock. Wouldn't have affected what happened here, but its a slightly odd road layout and can catch people out if they don't know the area/are using satnav. If you look at the junction on google maps, it can look like Longford Road is the main road continuing to the island, and Wolverhampton Road merges into it (so vehicles from Wolverhampton Road would be giving way) but its actually the other way around, and theres the give way point "in the middle" of Longford Road instead. The amount of times i've saw someone taking it too fast and then breaking sharply when they realise.
Looking forward to viewing this later today in the hotel. Greetings from BBC Gardener's World Live at the NEC combined with the Good Food Show. Will also attend the National Cycling Show in another hall.
@JustinVr-dx1kz Yeah but it is illegal and not really appropriate as it means when you actually use hazard lights to warn people they may think you're thanking them
Totally off topic here, I recently purchased a viofo dash cam but I have a problem with the front camera, the footage is jumpy and buffering a lot and can't be used for anything however the rear camera is fine, if anyone has any fix for this issue I'll be most thankful. Cheers...
I wanted to buy a dashcam via your link, but my garage only fits Nextbase models. No idea why. I could have asked Halfords, but they only fit dashcams they've sold you, not one you already own. Ho-hum. I ended up with a Nextbase 320XR front/rear bundle.
As you say, Those little vans have a huge blind spot on their passenger side. Quite a tricky manuever by that driver. It’s also a hire van which may suggest the driver isn’t familiar with it and doesn’t realise how much they can’t see….
They also don’t have a wide angle mirror on the door mirror like most vans. I ran one for a short time and I found it almost dangerous. Had to massively compensate for the lack of wide angle mirror, there were massive blind spots, tricky junctions where you emerge from a side road in a similar angle as this van were an absolute nightmare, you had to practically lean over to look out of the passenger window.
motor factors hire vans when they are busy or have their full time van getting repaired, my guess is this is a motor factor delivery driver dropping off parts to the car garage so they know what they are doing, its not inexperience, just lazy delivery driver standards, chancing their luck to save a few seconds.
Slightly disagree with the pedestrian one (A-) if you watch the pedestrian, wearing all dark clothing, walks right out from behind the building and makes no move to stop at all - the driver would have had so little time to react- fortunately their speed was good so they could stop in time - I think A rating as they were showing due care and could deal with the idiot pedestrian who obviously values their phone use more than their life.
1:43 non existent. They can see precisely ZERO to the rear left. Much better would have been to reverse back in to the opening and then pulled out squarer.
I always watch hire vans closely, they're often driven by people who decide to clear the garage or garden so pop out and hire a vehicle, pay the deposit and drive off without a clue of driving solely on the wing mirrors. Often they haven't even set the mirrors up so they've the best view of what's behind. Be prepared for a hire van to do anything.
With the zombie pedestrian walking out (I'd give him an E-), I wonder whether he didn't notice the cammer's car as it was going so slowly? Slower moving objects (particularly if they are quieter, and the person has headphones on) are less perceptible in peripheral vision. I don't think the cammer could have driven very much faster at this point, but I do wonder whether a little blip of revs (assuming ICE car) approaching the corner would have made them more noticeable?
As a motorbike rider, but now also drives a car fairly recently. On a motorbike, I am more vigilant. In the end of the day you have no air bag. YOU are the air bag. Riding in the UK with a Motorbike since 2016 till now( since 2006 in Asia), that is also now applied while driving a car. Now the first clip. That pause at 1:32 I'd be able to already discern Fully that the van will pull out. In my head younger years I'd be like "look at this idiot" slow down then let him out. Nowadays, it's just to be more aware and patient. And in my head "it's a non event", give way to the van. Then continue on driving safely. But yeah the biker should have slowed down and gave way, that van probably did not see the on coming biker with the angle he is in. Van driver did bad there too. I WOULDN'T join the road without fully knowing if the left side is clear. A Lot of Stuff are Non Events. Unless if you turn it into one thanks to someone called EGO
Apropos again 8:14 I nearly knocked someone down at work last week. They were crossing the carpark and got themselves in my A pillar blind spot and were completely invisible until they appeared to the LEFT of the A pillar. Good job I was going slow and could stop while they jumped out of the way. The fact it was filmed (and seen by my line manager) and (circumstances) it was more of the pedestrians fault saved me and my line manager a tonne of agro. Dashcam - best £40 I've ever spent...... worth every penny.
In the penultimate clip on the country lane I wonder if the cammer would be travelling as fast, and making as few obssrvations if they didn't have a car in front to blindly follow.
I live in a rural area, and am used to being on 'roads' like that. Both the cammer, and car in front, were going far too fast, for the conditions. The cammer was also way too close. I agree, just blindly playing 'follow the leader' Some people think that nobody else will be using the road, and that 'since it's a 60, I can do 60, right?' Had a few scary near misses that were only avoided, because I flashed my lights or sounded horn, before going round blind bends on lanes. Always luxury car drivers, going too fast.
Driving standards have plummeted, people don't know how to use a roundabout, don't realise the dangers of tail gating, can't read speed signs (or so it seems), cut corners on blind bends, overtake dangerously (especially cyclists), use mobile phones etc etc.
In your first clip, how about noting that it's a dingy day and the motorcyclist is wearing black and is thus not helping their visibility? You mentioned going round the roundabout, so how about giving a F to the highways authority and Walstell Services / Shirlton Car Sales for not putting in some No Right Turn / Left Turn Only signs? In the second clip, you might mention for the benefit of foreign viewers that the Rule of the Road in the UK is Keep Left, and thus the driver's positioning is entirely reasonable. But when it comes to getting into the correct lane the bus stop is NOT the place to wait and doing so can result in a fine in many places. And let's again give an F to the highways authority for inadequate road marking. At 8:28 let's note how worn the yellow cross-hatching is. Highways gets a C.
in the first clip, I assume from the presence of aftermarket safety accessories that the motorcyclist has an above average amount of hi-viz accessories, as well.
Walking across a road at night, nose buried in a phone, dressed in dark clothing, suicidal. Rights are of little importance when you are lying on the mortuary slab.
So many people fail to realise just how more difficult it is to see them, if they are completely dressed in black, at night. "If YoU cAn'T sEe SoMeThInG BlAcK, wItHoUt LiTeS, tHeN u ShOuLn'T bE dRiViNg !!!" they say. Hello!!! are you deliberately trying to make yourself hard to see? I don't like being surprised on the road, so while I expect the unexpected, I don't expect to come across suicidal idiots. At least the glow of the phone, reflecting off their face, gives a little clue of what they are about to do.
I know this junction well, Local drivers know all to well how tight it is and how busy it can get with both heavy traffic and large lories at times and pedestrians , but yes very poor from the pedestrian
2:15, something about this makes me think that the moped rider is a novice and gets into a lot of situations like this, and thinks that getting a helmet cam is going to solve the problem. Someone more experienced will have known that the van driver cannot see any traffic coming from that angle and would have backed off out of a sense of self preservation.
Who clocked the pedestrian bouncing up and down, possibly impatiently, at the crossing at 6:53? I thought that was going to develop and they were going to be what the clip was about.
8:11, pedestrian walks out, looks at car that is approaching and calmly continues to walk in front of the moving traffic. Another potential Darwin Award winner.
Car in the left lane - I would just think ‘drat, got that wrong’, stuck with it, turned left and just reroute back again. Probably wouldn’t have cost any more time than would have been spent waiting at the back of the queue.
I don’t really see anything wrong with the last clip. I think they were assuming the red car was going to join into lane 2 like most people would, and the camera car brakes pretty much as soon as the red car comes into lane 1.
Personally, if I'd accidentally got into a left-turn only lane and realised it at that point, I'd have turned left, then found a place to turn around - therefore, I'd only give them a 'B'
in that case, my thought was to turn left and rechart my course. my second thought was to wonder if it was really necessary to go where the viewer was going at that time of day.
The last clip, I don’t think viewer reacted poorly. The brake sound came the moment merger came into viewer’s lane. What is the right thing to do for both? Merger go to right lane which is free? If that happens, okay for viewer to past on the left lane due to speed differences?
in my part of the states, the correct thing is for the person entering the road to enter the closest lane to them. and yes, in that circumstance, an undertake would be acceptable.
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The reality is most people with driving licences are not really fit to drive. They can get through their tests by deceit and temporary obedience. But as soon as they're out on their own, all the standards just ebb away. Most people never check their blind spots, properly look, and definitely don't plan ahead.
And the worst of it all, it's the same people who blame others when it all goes wrong. I absolutely hate the phrase "right of way" because people seem to take it as a get out of jail free card. You can have right of way and still be a numpty.
@@rufusgreenleaf2466 "Right of way"
"Because I can"
"You shouldn't be on the road"
"I pay road tax"
@@goodyeoman4534 Are you a cyclist by any chance?
If you compare it to a Private Pilots License for flying a little piston engined aircraft the driver's license is a joke. Your aircraft rating is only valid for 2 years, and to keep it renewed you need to fly at least 1 hour with an instructor in the year before expiry. The amount of damage you can do with a car is only marginally less than with a light aircraft.
I think you're being a bit harsh there. From personal experience, I see it more like a bell curve with most drivers being somewhat ahead of the acceptable standard but would still benefit from further training (that standard does not align with the middle of the curve). There is an unpleasantly large minority who fall below an acceptable standard though, and, others' occasional mistakes notwithstanding, these substandard drivers cause a disproportionate number of incidents.
I think in the last clip, the POV driver must have thought the red vehicle was joining into lane 2. Otherwise, it makes zero sense to me why they would a) not slow down earlier and b) not check lane 2 to prepare for an overtake. I'm always wary of staying at speed for the overtake, however, because I've seen far too many drivers pull out into lane 1 and, just at the crucial time, move back into lane 2 for absolutely no reason!?!!?
It takes about 1.5 seconds, time you don't really have in that situation, to check lane 2 is clear and move over safely. Not anticipating the hazard is poor, but it's more than reasonable to harsh-brake because you know that will keep you alive, whereas a sharp dive into lane 2 at the wrong moment might result in disaster.
@@almightyhydra As I said, I don't like going for the overtake in this situation for that very reason. I certainly wasn't suggesting a swerve at the last moment.
-The time needed to check around comes from the time it takes for a committed vehicle to cross on to our side of the road.- Actually, I forgot it wasn't in a side street but entering from the central reservation. I still think there's enough time to check.
5:40 - yeah. Ive been in the wrong lane in heavy traffic like that before... I fix it by going where the lane I'm in goes, and find a way back around. With GPS apps everywhere these days, it isn't an issue.
2:15… rented van… that a very good point, an experienced Van driver will often park in such a way to make leaving easier,
where as someone less experienced will focus on parking 1st and then how they are going to leave will be an after thought.
3:12 best use of a horn I've seen
Having driven small vans for around half a million miles in the past, my take on the first clip is as follows:
First, I wouldn't have parked fully on the pavement like that but assuming I wanted to make a similar manouvre for whatever reason, I would have pulled fully across the oncoming lane with full left lock on, attempting to get to 90 degrees across it, so I could see the other lane then (once clear and safe) driven into that lane on full right lock as though I had emerged from a tight junction. It's significantly more effort but well worth it.
The big thing you've shown is your not a lazy corner cutter. Most people don't want to use the steering wheel and cut corners turning in and pulling out and people also like to steer way too early. Obviously in a panel van the second your turn one direction your view in the opposite direction starts to shrink rapidly and its no good going out blind which is what your method the right one prevents from happening. I've driven buses and currently drive artics and the view out of a bus especially the newer ones is superior to that of almost any panel van. In an artic there is space to hide a panel van if you're not on the ball with checking the blindspot mirrors.
I made a mistake once entering a roundabout - there was a biker fully hidden behind my A pillar the entire time while I was moving. I never saw that biker until he was in my rear view mirror after he piled on the brake. Since, I always double check for blind spots - I was lucky on that occasion, it could have been a lot worse.
A good biker would have been aware that they were travelling in your blind spot.
@@RichO1701e A good driver would move their head or body to be able to see a biker.
You must have seen the biker after he got out of your A pillar blind spot. A biker moving from the pillar to the rear of my vehicle I'd find it impossible not to see a biker alongside me. Even in peripheral vision I'd see him as I pass him.
@@SteveMcIlhennie the onus is on the BIKER to ride safely. It's called good roadcraft pal.
Only shit bikers rely on other road users to be safe.
@@RichO1701e In what the OP described puts the onus on himself for not driving without due care and attention. Do you think the biker should be watching the drivers approaching the roundabout that paying attention to all his surroundings?
Only shit drivers think the ones on the roundabout must give priority to those onto the roundabout.
Who was it made the mistake? Read the first 4 words from the OP It might give you a clue.
0:14 A forty five degrees van on the offside cannot see in our direction. It is a self-drive hire vehicle possible being hired by a car driver who never dives vans. We are on a harder to see motorcycle. The van is closing down our space in an obvious hold back and stop if necessary situation.
8:39 this is why I just slow down if I get someone tailgating. Especially on a single track road like this.
Absolutely. Was it you who said, "I'm trying to drive to the best of my ability, not the worst of yours"?
@@PedroConejo1939 I can't take credit for that, but it's a good mantra.
Ashley says stopping like that to turn right wasn't a good idea, so no right turns on unfamiliar backroads any more?
@@andyalder7910 quite! but when it's stopping randomly in front of a cyclist, that gets an 'A'! 6:02
@andyalder7910 'stopping like that' (in that manner), @shm5547 'Ashley is anti-cyclist'
Phone zombie has just come off a big pedestrianised main street. It's fairly common to have people crossing blindly at that point and there should be a better crossing put in. Locals are used to it though, and the cars parked on the crossing further up.
Yep, I learnt to drive in Abergavenny, saw it all numerous times on lessons. They just don't care.
for those who have never driven a cargo van, you can hide a brodozer in the blind spot on those. (metric equivalent, 1.5 chelsea tractors)
Its ironic but down to a point the smaller vans and lorries actually have more than the big ones because they simply don't get fitted with proper blindspot mirrors etc.
@@gravemind6536 people just don't seem to understand sheet metal isn't transparent.
I drive a tiny car. I'm often amazed at other drivers so close behind larger vehicles. Do they have no common sense? I hang back to be safe and someone nips in front where they're now invisible to the lorry 🤦♀️
E for the driver of the last clip is harsh, the red car coming in to lane one instead of staying in lane 2 was a wildly dangerous and unusual move.
I would have given the red car an F for coming in front for no reason at that slow a speed and the driver D+ or C-
The red car driver is an ILS - Intersection Lane Selector. And in this case is an oblivious ILS.
If the cammer in the last clip was scanning behind them they would have know whether lane 2 was clear and allowed themselves to overtake the terrible driver of the red car without having to brake. I've had cars pull out on my at similar junctions before and I've always made sure I've got my space available for a lane change if needed. The cammer just didn't seem to be concentrating at all.
@@davem9204 even if it was clear, slowing is safer than trusting a car that badly driven not to change lane into danger.
Only just two or so minutes in and another thing folk can do is listen for traffic. While I doubt it would have helped much for the van driver in this particular situation due to how busy it was, they may have potentially heard the motorcyclist coming. Joining a road is a bit like crossing one.
Stop.
Look.
And listen.
You'd be surprised how helpful winding your window down a bit can help give you an idea of what's going on (and use any reflective surface to see as well if you can. Shop windows may show oncoming traffic or hazards).
Funny enough I was going to ask Ashley if he could do a video about those, window open a bit, turn volume down, use reflective surfaces, wait a sec… don’t just go through. ❤
I have a blind driveway to get onto our lane and _always_ have the window down, even though it's looking into the prevailing rain.
What about drivers who are actually deaf?
Loud pipes saves lives is a myth that rubbish bikers tell themselves.
@@RichO1701e I have definitely heard a few motorcycles before seeing them.
You definitely get diminishing returns though.
Just the other day somebody (on foot) almost ran into my electric car on a busy street because they did not hear me. Been thinking of installing a more obnoxious low speed noise: like hoofbeats.
Ashley, the van at 2:37 is a different vehicle to the one at 0:13 which has "Enterprise" signwriting on it!
6:08 - Been there, done that, waited about there then using a right turn signal as "help, made a mistake..." and these vehicles as place markers I was allowed out by the driver in the position of the white van 2 back in the RH lane.
7:37 - 4WD gets an F or maybe a G in any circumstance other than a dead engine. Since the 4WD is not displaying hazard lights your cammer gets an E for overtaking a stopped rather than clearly broken down vehicle on zigzags.
Regarding the first clip, a top tip if anybody rents a panel van/drives one for the first time. If you approach a junction with a bit of an angle on it, and you're turning right (in the UK), turn hard left at the last minute so you're perfectly square with the junction. Otherwise, it's impossible to see approaching traffic from the left.
Common sense is less common among drivers compared to the general population.
A company in London fitted a window in the left side panel behind the door. They were then charged purchase tax as a car and not a van. Yet the police were advertising for safer driving.
I'll add something on the 2nd clip, the space. I'm sure that people have this mindset of, if there's space for 2 vehicles, even if there's just 1 lane, they can merge and traffic will go around them. The reality is, you've no idea what they're doing and assume they're just gonna pull in front of you, making the situation look like ignorance or bullying to get in when they have tried to factor you in. Had this happen a few times on the A61 north of Alfreton with the joining B6025. People join thinking there's a slip to merge in, but no, they have a giveway, its 1 lane and traffic is going too quick for them to join safely.
On the point of the space left by the driver may have invited the pedestrian to walk out, I encounter this quite regularly. I always try to leave a reasonable gap between myself and the person in front (which has saved me from crashing into them on several occasions when they have suddenly stopped without warning), but it does tend to invite people to try stupid maneuvers. People trying to force their way into the lane in a dangerous way, or like in the case of the video, people walking out in front of me without paying much attention. It is tricky because the space is what has saved me in those situations, but I wonder if the situation would have happened in the first place had I not left the space to begin with.
With the first clip, there is no guarantee that just because it is a hire van that the driver doesn’t have a lot of experience. A lot of companies now use hire firms for their fleets as it can be cheaper than alternative leasing options
However, it still doesn’t mean the driver will take care as “it isn’t their vehicle” so it doesn’t matter if a dent or scratch appears. That just gets written off by the company accountant as “an acceptable insurance loss”
as a counterpoint: if you assume the driver is inexperienced and you are wrong, the consequences are less severe than if you assume the driver is experienced and you are wrong.
And an A+ to the EUC rider who sneaked through without being noticed at 5:25.
That last clip is a couple of miles from where I live, and that junction is a b*gger to get out of. There is often a queue waiting to join the main road and a couple of those waiting in the central reservation area, and there can sometimes be some pressure on drivers to “get on with it”. Doesn’t excuse that poor emerge though. There is an alternative route via Gleneagles that uses a flyover, but it’s a bit of a detour. It’s always best to go that way when it’s busy but it didn’t look that busy here so it’s a mystery why the other driver emerged into lane 1 like that.
About the clip that starts at around 5:00. There's really only 2 possibilities for that usage pattern between the left and right lane: The left one is a left turn lane and everyone else wants to go mostly straight, or the right lane is a right turn lane and nobody wants to go straight. Given that there's a bridge right beyond the upcoming junction, it's more probable that this is all traffic trying to pass that choke point.
I won't pretend that's basic common sense, but a bit of "advanced common sense" could have avoided that exercise in asking to be let in.
Clip 2 is from the A303, just down from Chicklade. To get on the London bound side from the services you have to emerge and a lot of people get caught out by the oncoming vehicle's speed.
Just upgraded my dash cam to the Viofo A139 pro thanks Ashley for the 5% discount code.
That first clip, I've had situations like this on my motorcycle and I've anchored on and almost come to a stop. Given their initial angle of attack, my presumption would be that they're attempting a U-turn. Something very common in a location near me, a busy hotspot with a small Tesco and Co-Op and plenty of takeaway's where people park on both sides in both directions.
There is a road near me with a few trades people businesses that have small car parks, but those car parks usually contain overflow stock that can’t be kept inside so there are often vans parked on the right facing the wrong way
First sign of brakes lights or indicators and I am slowing down ready for them to move off. Generally it is 50/50 for those that just pull away and those that will slowly pull away…and I drive a car not ride a bike so if they can’t see me then there is very little chance of being seen on two wheels
Self preservation should be a must for everyone but unfortunately there are some that feel that being in the right trumps that, especially when a GoPro (other alternatives are available) is strapped to the helmet
Take care out there
I've had an "interesting", somewhat comparable situation: there's a bus lane which has a loading bay in it, which was clear, and a set of traffic lights I was waiting at. Lights change, waiting traffic and I move off, and from the opposite direction, at the last minute, a van decides to dive into the bay, presumably with the thought of not holding people up in both directions... and into my path. Was no big issue at least, such is life...
With respect to the horn comment for the second clip, I probably would have suggested shorter sharp bursts - more likely to get attention, and less likely to seem like a telling off, rather than a "you need to notice me" warning. - Even better, considering a small "hi there" beep-beep when you spot someone who likely won't notice you (have done this at a junction where I could see the bonnet of a waiting car, but not the driver, who almost certainly would not have spotted me - though they didn't move in the end, but at least it's an extra warning of presense!
0:27 you’re not allowed to cross a solid white line and enter a hatched area unless it’s an emergency, the only exception is on a single carriageway at the end of an overtaking lane where 2 lanes reduce to 1 and you’re crossing the solid white line to enter the hatched area for any of the reasons mentioned for double white lines (accessing property, entering a side road, passing a stationary vehicle, overtaking a cyclist horse or road maintenance vehicle doing 10mph or less), that’s the only exception.
As you say LHS blind spot on a van like that is massive...that reminds me ...must get blind spot mirror! Your analysis is spot on.
8:48 - damn I had an Ashley "that was close" on my bingo card for that one
With the first two clips, I agree with Ashley's point about use of the horn. The seconds clip showed that the horn made the driver pulling out react and move to the right of the lane and require a lot less drastic reaction from the cammer. If the cammer in the first clip had used their horn the van driver would have likely corrected their error and stopped. Too many drivers are shy to use their horn when it could be vital in making the other road user making the error to correct themselves, instead of having to take far more drastic measures to avoid a collision.
The phone zombie didn't help by wearing dark clothes without any reflectors. A 3€ reflector is the cheapest life/traffic insurance on the planet. Fairly common accessory here in Finland. I have one for every limb and my main backpack has one to each side and two towards back.
2:48 A303 near West Knoyle, Starbucks. Wiltshire. The Mercedes emerging from the median, obviously, did not do good enough obsevations. He just "target fixated" on the first car (the one in front of the viewer's/ cameer's car) and moved prematurely out onto the eastbound lane without checking more thorougly if there were more cars following behind.
I find it's better to go the other way down the B road there and emerge slightly further up the A3
The one that gets me scratching my head every time is when there are temporary road works with light that cause long queues and the traffic waiting to go thorough cover the turns to the left blocking anyone oncoming from turning right across into that road. It just snarls everything. How hard is it watching the car in front and waiting to see if there is room in front not to block it. You also get the ones who leave a tiny gap so those turning are struggling and potential could scrape your car. Do people just follow the car in front and have no awareness of anything else? We have had this on a busy road for weeks now and every time this is happening. You just need to stop for a second watch those in front bunch up and if there is a gap move across that left turn.
Any vehicle emerging from the right, whether that be from a side road or simply parked up, always expect that you haven’t been seen
Observation is a skill that is just about remebered for the test and largely forgotten about once passed
The problem with van/truck rental companies is that people, on the whole, who rent such vehicles have no experience or training! I've driven many such vehicles, great and small, and can tell you it is very different to daily driving a Nissan Micra! That's all I'm saying about the Enterprise clip!
Clip 1 enterprise van
Yep van should have reversed back into the garage and pulled out normally.
Alt option, reverse back, turn the other way-go round the roundabout. My neighbour won’t do that sort of thing…even when the street has parked cars making going one direction difficult from the driveway….(we live on a block at the half way point)…says it wastes fuel.
07:40, parking on white zigzag lines, double f.
2nd clip is very local to me, A303 at Willoughby hedge, horrible junction at busy times, not excusing the merc though. I tend to avoid it and use the A350 junction a bit further down the road.
Situational awareness is a great thing, knowing who is where and when gives you options in an emergency. You got mirrors and a twisty neck, use them all the time😉.
As a holder of both licences and knowing how inept we all know mirrors are we all need to anticipate and fix errors. It coss you nothing to roll off the gas, flash someone out etc.
Dont flash them out, just leave space for them to make the decision if its safe to go. if you flash them out and they crash with another vehicle, you directed traffic and are technically responsible as you said it was safe to go by flashing.
i got a broken leg from a vehicle that flashed its lights and left a gap while i was filtering past traffic, got hit side on. i was young at the time, pain was a good teacher, now i know to slow down filtering past junctions and make sure i have been seen.
@@douglasreid699 I agree on not flashing people in most cases there are occasions when it can be helpful but for most instances it causes more problems rather than help as usually the person being let out dithers about and you end up wishing you'd just carried on or they just gun it and end up nearly crashing or crashing. Even just leaving a gap when in traffic once whilst I was driving a bus I had a van turn in too quick to see a cyclist that I had thankfully saw coming up the bike lane, the only reason they didn't crash was because I beeped the horn the cyclist also thanked me for it. If I am thinking about letting someone out I also always check my mirrors before doing so as often you see something that would make it unsafe to do and you can then just forget it and proceed.
Exactly on the point of the rental. Always beware rentals who aren't used to positioning to view without rear windows.
Clip 2, know that junction well people get stuck there for ages so take risky decisions, always seems to be littered with bits of broken cars. Regular users of that road know to use the B road and join the A303 about a mile east where it is safer.
Was hoping someone would point this out. I think they should have signs prohibiting right turns there; make people go down the B road.
Following other cars at night thru a busy narrow town and someone walks out….
If you’re doing the correct speed you can stop.
Leaving the gap (might not be as much as it looks-camera effect)….allows you to often keep the car rolling, avoiding harsh stop-start driving. Modern cars are seemingly going that way.
Indicating…
Followed a scooter last week/end with its left turn signal going for several miles.
It’s like, are u turning, are you turning, are you turning, are you turning.
A local person wrote on a local FB group how they followed a mk1 Yaris with one of its signals constantly going, for 8 miles….
I mean how can you not know?
The real question: What else are they not noticing?
Driving a large van myself, there is a terrible blind area on the passenger side. I try to always position myself at an angle to reduce this risk as much as possible.
I used Car Virtical , but it didn't alert me to a drop in mileage at the last MOT. It said it was ok. When i questioned it with them they said, oh it was probably just a human error. But it still should have been flagged up, it shouldn't be down to the person paying to check the results.
nothing is perfect, mistakes will be made. you are 1 of very few that has had problems from the thousands of users that use car vertical and it works fine for them. what makes a company is how they respond to problems. were you satisfied with the customer service to fix your problem?
you could have checked the MOT for free first before using car vertical. thats what i tend to do while trying to buy myself a van currently, try all the free options before spending money.
Phone Zombie is the term I have been using for some time. Ashley would have a field day looking at a lot of the American/Canadian dashcam channels. They choose to crash instead of avoid, because they have the right of way!
The best example I saw of the "It's my right of way, I'm not stopping" from America, was a driver of a pickup truck, heading to a crossroads, that was a 4-way stop.
The driver saw another truck approacking from the left, and shouted "YOU BETTER STOP, BECAUSE I AINT"
The other truck was at the 10 o'clock position on screen, and remained at that angle, while the camera driver just carried on driving. Yep, bigger and bigger on screen, constant angle / position.
The outcome was obvious, and inevitable.
Both driver, argued with each-other, saying that "They had right of way" and it was the other driver who blew the stop sign, causing the collision.
One of the finest driving fail videos, ever.
I'm glad I took the Advanced Drivers Course as it taught me defensive driving skills. It also lowered my insurance premium and kept it low by no accidents.
Dad always said: Be sure not dead sure.
Had one of these situations the other day. 50mph dual carriageway with a short slip road from a side road, the kind where you stop on the slip road if you haven't got room to safely enter. Car comes onto the slip road, slows down as if it's stopping, then pulls out right in front of me. I manage to sort it fairly quickly since I was at least keeping an eye on it, but my first thought after that was that I should have anticipated it more
"if you assume everyone around you will make the worst decision, sometimes, you will be pleasantly surprised."
In the clip at 6:31 I generally tend to just admit defeat, turn left, find somewhere safe to turn around and come back, adding a few minutes onto my journey, but inconveniencing nobody but myself with my mistake.
It’s lucky in this clip that the other two drivers in the left turn lane were also in the wrong lane so the cammer wasn’t holding them up
Clip 1. Many vans have appalling blind spots. I don't understand how they can continue to get Type Approval unless fitted with extra mirrors to reduce this sort of thing. Other road users need to be aware that unless they can see the van drivers face in the van's mirror, they are invisible. No, the van diver should not have put themselves in this position, but stuff happens sometimes, and as it is a hire van, the driver may never have driven one before.
Clip 3. The driver using lane 1 was acting correctly. There is no indication it is for Left Turn Only until the road marking is visible.
Isn't this similar to a Merge in Turn situation?
Yes. The road authorities are responsible to put the signage far back enough to account for queuing. They failed. The driver is entitled to stop at the sign and immediately change lane at that point. That is the soonest he could be expected to take that lane.
In the last clip 9:10 for some reason in KMH but it 73 MPH and even goes up to 119KMH 74 MPH and it has average speed camera's on that road so they must have gotten a speeding ticket i know some cars it can be few MPH above what is shown in the dash as not that accurate but 4MPH more i think is a bit much and they are desperate for fines now so even 1 MPH over they are getting people.
In the second clip does the cammer just stop or do they indicate right? I dont see any flashing being reflected from other traffic, mind you they do seem to be sitting their with their stop lights on. 8:14, cammer is very slow to react to the pedestrian, A-, wow that's a bit high
I was driving a new van the other day and 'squared off' a junction so as to be able to see both ways, and be seen. Imagine my surprise then when the car following me pulled in front of me at the junction, using the space on my right. Cheeky sod!
Beatifully explained video Ashley🙏
This is one of the best channels on UA-cam. I've adopted this attitude now not just in my driving but in life in general. Very zen. Thanks, Ashley
The first few months of having my driver's license I drove around in a van (a max-length Citroen Jumper cargo van that once carried wine boxes). On one hand it was pretty dangerous for me to be driving that with as little experience as I had at that point, but on the other hand it was the absolute best learning experience anyone could ever have. I very quickly learned to give myself the visibility I need, including backing into driveways to be able to turn around, opening the window to lean out, and even getting out entirely to make sure I had the space to go somewhere. The rear-view visibility was negligible, the inside mirror was blocked fully and the side mirrors didn't bring anything behind the van into view whatsoever, and this was before the time of reversing cameras.
While I wouldn't recommend anyone buy a vehicle like this just for learning, it really is an experience everyone should have, because it teaches you a lot about when you are or aren't visible to other road users.
Those big vans sound like ones that should be restricted to say age 21 or 3 years experience if we get graduated driving licenses coming in in a year or two.
@@mattwardman
So, electrical apprentices, won't be able to drive the van, then?
It's common to send the helper in the van to pick something up.
It's why job adverts for school leaver apprentiships will say "You will be expected to obtain your driving license at the earliest oppotuinty"
Don't make things harder for the trades. Not everyone works in an office, and van drivers are not all idiots.
@@mattwardman you really don't gain much from that. Too many reasons for someone who doesn't meet those criteria yet to have a reason to have to drive one (i.e. work), and it's no more dangerous than a normal vehicle. It just teaches you very quickly to guesstimate available space and keep a close eye on people around you as they disappear from view quickly. I think anyone who can't do that would be hesitant to drive a van anyway.
@@johnbooth5199 It's not a question of whether it makes it harder for the trades.
It's a question of whether it makes it safer on the roads.
If the data says that it is inappropriate for 17 year olds or new license holders to drive such large vehicles, then the option for employers to make 17 year olds drive them should not be available.
I don't see the problem here, tbh.
Checking I see that 70% of van insurance policies do not permit drivers at age 17, and 30% require a minimum age of 21. That's a start pf data supporting my suggestion.
@@mattwardman I forsee problems, because while i didn't learn to drive, until my 40s, I used to assist the van driver, back when i did furniture.
I quickly learnt that panel vans have poor visibility, and acted as spotter, in the passenger seat.
When I learnt to drive, my instructor taught me to be cautious of approaching vans, because of their lack of vision.
Companies that have a requirement to have their employees drive company vehicles, will simply not employ anyone who does not have the required experience to drive a van.
You cannot expect an employer to drop the driving requirement, if it is a necessary part of the job.
Like with HGVs, if you can't see the driver, either directly or through the mirrors, then they cannot see you.
When I'm on the road, in my small car, I'm well aware that I can get hidden from view to other drivers, especially larger vans, and HGVs, so I avoid putting myself in potential blindspots - never loiter next to HGVs.
That was a good one. Nice and varied conditions but the same principles.
But how about the clarity of the Viofo dashcam at night!! Amazingly clear. I’m gonna have to get one of those.
In the first clip, the motorcyclist's desire for instant rebuke could have caused an accident. They deliberately stopped the flow for everyone to deliver their drama.
Love watching your videos but especially when it’s in my area and that first clip is just an example of certain drivers in cannock for you🤣🤣🤣
The clip at 8:32: that could very well have been a telling off (by the car stopping) for the close following distance. The stop when indicating right, then indicate left, then continue and use the hazards (followed by the cammer flashing their lights angrily and more use of hazards). Honestly, I would not be surprised if there was more that happened before this.
I also felt that was a telling-off by the car ahead.
So you completely missed the sign on the right at 8:45 that the driver in front obviously mistook for their turning?
3:16 once again, like the previous clip, you’re not allowed to cross a solid white line and enter a hatched area unless it’s an emergency, the only exception is on a single carriageway at the end of an overtaking lane where 2 lanes reduce to 1 and you’re crossing the solid white line to enter the hatched area for any of the reasons mentioned for double white lines (accessing property, entering a side road, passing a stationary vehicle, overtaking a cyclist horse or road maintenance vehicle doing 10mph or less), that’s the only exception, very poor driving from both.
I'd say "an imminent 60mph crash unless you go in there" would count as an emergency though!
I'm not from the UK so not quite aware of your specific rules of the road, but regarding the last clip: I couldn't see any signs indicating a temporary speed limit around that junction. Had a look at the location on google maps and couldn't see any there either. The cam car is going through there maintaining almost 120kph. I feel like that's fast for such a traffic situation. In the Netherlands there would be a temporary lower speed limit (not that we have these kinds of junctions onto a bloody motorway in the first place).
So now I'm wondering, is there no lower speed limit in this situation? If not, do you think there should be? If yes, how can I recognize it? And also if yes, the cam car is an even worse offender. Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable taking my unaltered motorway speed into a situation where a stationary car could be turning onto 'my' piece of road.
The first clip demonstrates why using the horn can make a difference, but shouldn't be relied on as the sole remedy. That emerge was avoidably hazardous before the van moved a millimetre.
I think it's a great example of only parking facing the same direction of traffic. Setting off from the wrong side seriously increases risk with limited visibility and having to navigate another lane.
@@MepsiPaxBerri That's a bugbear of mine; the UK is the only developed country I know that permits it. Not only permits, but requires it for the test.
9:39 the 'cross with care' sign! must be a common problem at this junction!
good spot.
This is where I grew up and most people coming out there sit in the fast lane after joining it's ridiculous it's an open section of road as well making it easy to see things coming it's also an average speed camera section so unlike to have people tanking it up the dual carriageway
Could probably do with it written across the carriageway/kerb where the phone zombie's gaze is directed at 8:09!
@@ianmason. yep! maybe the pedestrian thought Rule H2 would apply there, but I don't think it would as it looks to be a sharp bend rather than a junction.
Putting up signage doesn't help when the intended audience isn't looking at it.
I did buy a VIOFO Dashcam but your links didn't work because I'm in Canada. But I gotta say I'm impressed for the price. Great bang for the buck and the dashcam works amazingly. Shoulda got it years ago. Every other dashcam I bought was subpar.
Does anyone know what the pedestrian is gesticulating about at 8:20 ? He seems to be implying the zigzags or yellow box markings give him priority (I don't understand this), or is he trying to imply the road is going from minor to major for the cammer and so he should give way? (also seems wrong, it looks like there's no give way for the cammer).
I think the cammer should've slowed / stopped earlier for sure but I really don't understand the pedestrian's viewpoint and I feel like I'm missing something!
Hello, I submitted this clip.
This also confused me what they were gesturing.
I think they were gesturing for me to stop.
Also the road I was on is the A40 and that "left turn" is actually just following the road. There is not pedestrian crossing or road markings. It's just a popular spot for people to cross.
It doesn't come across well but it was much darker than the video shows and I only saw there legs when they walked in frot of me. 😅
But I should be more alert as I know it's a popular spot for pedestrians
@@josephrobertson4424 Cheers for submitting the clip! It's certainly an interesting one.
I guess it's a lesson about how sometimes some junctions just have horrid pedestrian desire-paths through them and we just have to accommodate, I suppose!
His attitude was rubbish but I'm glad yours was better! :)
I remember a government advertisment way back encouraging pedestrians "to wear something white at night". The guy absorbed in his phone looked like he was on an SAS night raid. Well done for spotting him.
First time i've saw a clip and instantly recognised where it is from - the first clip is in Cannock. Wouldn't have affected what happened here, but its a slightly odd road layout and can catch people out if they don't know the area/are using satnav. If you look at the junction on google maps, it can look like Longford Road is the main road continuing to the island, and Wolverhampton Road merges into it (so vehicles from Wolverhampton Road would be giving way) but its actually the other way around, and theres the give way point "in the middle" of Longford Road instead. The amount of times i've saw someone taking it too fast and then breaking sharply when they realise.
Looking forward to viewing this later today in the hotel. Greetings from BBC Gardener's World Live at the NEC combined with the Good Food Show. Will also attend the National Cycling Show in another hall.
8:48 That was also illegal use of hazard lights
It means thank u in unwritten rules
@JustinVr-dx1kz Yeah but it is illegal and not really appropriate as it means when you actually use hazard lights to warn people they may think you're thanking them
5:20. What 'lane'? There are no markings, just drivers who might 'know' getting in to position early.
The road needs to be marked up earlier.
Totally off topic here, I recently purchased a viofo dash cam but I have a problem with the front camera, the footage is jumpy and buffering a lot and can't be used for anything however the rear camera is fine, if anyone has any fix for this issue I'll be most thankful.
Cheers...
Do you have the right sort of SD card?
@@QuentinStephens yes I believe so it's a max endurance as recommended by viofo themselves.
@@BadDrivingSwansea Not only does it need to be high endurance but it needs to be high speed.
@@QuentinStephens I'll have to check, thanks.
5:35 Happens to me all the time in my BMW. By accident, I swear.
9:45 the poor ford driver apologising with their hazards not once, but twice amused me. 😅
Thankfully, no collision or injuries.
I wanted to buy a dashcam via your link, but my garage only fits Nextbase models. No idea why. I could have asked Halfords, but they only fit dashcams they've sold you, not one you already own.
Ho-hum. I ended up with a Nextbase 320XR front/rear bundle.
how weird
I agree with everything except I thought the E for the driver was a bit harsh, maybe a d instead?
As you say, Those little vans have a huge blind spot on their passenger side. Quite a tricky manuever by that driver. It’s also a hire van which may suggest the driver isn’t familiar with it and doesn’t realise how much they can’t see….
It was just bad timing.
They also don’t have a wide angle mirror on the door mirror like most vans. I ran one for a short time and I found it almost dangerous. Had to massively compensate for the lack of wide angle mirror, there were massive blind spots, tricky junctions where you emerge from a side road in a similar angle as this van were an absolute nightmare, you had to practically lean over to look out of the passenger window.
if they don't realise how much they can't see means they didn't even bother to look in the first place
I am constantly amazed by all the fishbowl drivers who come on forums and claim there are no blind spots on those.
motor factors hire vans when they are busy or have their full time van getting repaired, my guess is this is a motor factor delivery driver dropping off parts to the car garage so they know what they are doing, its not inexperience, just lazy delivery driver standards, chancing their luck to save a few seconds.
Slightly disagree with the pedestrian one (A-) if you watch the pedestrian, wearing all dark clothing, walks right out from behind the building and makes no move to stop at all - the driver would have had so little time to react- fortunately their speed was good so they could stop in time - I think A rating as they were showing due care and could deal with the idiot pedestrian who obviously values their phone use more than their life.
That last clip, the A9 in Scotland. Black spot for collisions and deaths because of driving like this.
1:43 non existent. They can see precisely ZERO to the rear left. Much better would have been to reverse back in to the opening and then pulled out squarer.
I always watch hire vans closely, they're often driven by people who decide to clear the garage or garden so pop out and hire a vehicle, pay the deposit and drive off without a clue of driving solely on the wing mirrors. Often they haven't even set the mirrors up so they've the best view of what's behind. Be prepared for a hire van to do anything.
There’s no way the van should be making that manoeuvre. The cammer did “overreact” but why has their life been put in danger from a poor manoeuvre?
With the zombie pedestrian walking out (I'd give him an E-), I wonder whether he didn't notice the cammer's car as it was going so slowly? Slower moving objects (particularly if they are quieter, and the person has headphones on) are less perceptible in peripheral vision. I don't think the cammer could have driven very much faster at this point, but I do wonder whether a little blip of revs (assuming ICE car) approaching the corner would have made them more noticeable?
As a motorbike rider, but now also drives a car fairly recently.
On a motorbike, I am more vigilant. In the end of the day you have no air bag. YOU are the air bag.
Riding in the UK with a Motorbike since 2016 till now( since 2006 in Asia), that is also now applied while driving a car.
Now the first clip. That pause at 1:32 I'd be able to already discern Fully that the van will pull out. In my head younger years I'd be like "look at this idiot" slow down then let him out.
Nowadays, it's just to be more aware and patient. And in my head "it's a non event", give way to the van. Then continue on driving safely.
But yeah the biker should have slowed down and gave way, that van probably did not see the on coming biker with the angle he is in.
Van driver did bad there too. I WOULDN'T join the road without fully knowing if the left side is clear.
A Lot of Stuff are Non Events.
Unless if you turn it into one thanks to someone called EGO
Apropos again 8:14 I nearly knocked someone down at work last week. They were crossing the carpark and got themselves in my A pillar blind spot and were completely invisible until they appeared to the LEFT of the A pillar. Good job I was going slow and could stop while they jumped out of the way. The fact it was filmed (and seen by my line manager) and (circumstances) it was more of the pedestrians fault saved me and my line manager a tonne of agro. Dashcam - best £40 I've ever spent...... worth every penny.
In the penultimate clip on the country lane I wonder if the cammer would be travelling as fast, and making as few obssrvations if they didn't have a car in front to blindly follow.
I live in a rural area, and am used to being on 'roads' like that.
Both the cammer, and car in front, were going far too fast, for the conditions. The cammer was also way too close.
I agree, just blindly playing 'follow the leader'
Some people think that nobody else will be using the road, and that 'since it's a 60, I can do 60, right?'
Had a few scary near misses that were only avoided, because I flashed my lights or sounded horn, before going round blind bends on lanes. Always luxury car drivers, going too fast.
Driving standards have plummeted, people don't know how to use a roundabout, don't realise the dangers of tail gating, can't read speed signs (or so it seems), cut corners on blind bends, overtake dangerously (especially cyclists), use mobile phones etc etc.
In your first clip, how about noting that it's a dingy day and the motorcyclist is wearing black and is thus not helping their visibility? You mentioned going round the roundabout, so how about giving a F to the highways authority and Walstell Services / Shirlton Car Sales for not putting in some No Right Turn / Left Turn Only signs?
In the second clip, you might mention for the benefit of foreign viewers that the Rule of the Road in the UK is Keep Left, and thus the driver's positioning is entirely reasonable. But when it comes to getting into the correct lane the bus stop is NOT the place to wait and doing so can result in a fine in many places. And let's again give an F to the highways authority for inadequate road marking.
At 8:28 let's note how worn the yellow cross-hatching is. Highways gets a C.
in the first clip, I assume from the presence of aftermarket safety accessories that the motorcyclist has an above average amount of hi-viz accessories, as well.
Walking across a road at night, nose buried in a phone, dressed in dark clothing, suicidal. Rights are of little importance when you are lying on the mortuary slab.
So many people fail to realise just how more difficult it is to see them, if they are completely dressed in black, at night.
"If YoU cAn'T sEe SoMeThInG BlAcK, wItHoUt LiTeS, tHeN u ShOuLn'T bE dRiViNg !!!" they say.
Hello!!! are you deliberately trying to make yourself hard to see? I don't like being surprised on the road, so while I expect the unexpected, I don't expect to come across suicidal idiots.
At least the glow of the phone, reflecting off their face, gives a little clue of what they are about to do.
A pedestrian dressed in black at night must act as if they are invisible to car drivers - because they often are.
I know this junction well, Local drivers know all to well how tight it is and how busy it can get with both heavy traffic and large lories at times and pedestrians , but yes very poor from the pedestrian
2:15, something about this makes me think that the moped rider is a novice and gets into a lot of situations like this, and thinks that getting a helmet cam is going to solve the problem.
Someone more experienced will have known that the van driver cannot see any traffic coming from that angle and would have backed off out of a sense of self preservation.
You forgot to give a score for the road and junction planning
F
@@davidvanderklauw I was thing U for ungraded
Who clocked the pedestrian bouncing up and down, possibly impatiently, at the crossing at 6:53? I thought that was going to develop and they were going to be what the clip was about.
00:00 Shoutout to Cannock!
Not lowing more for clip 1 is a C. Stopping in an unsafe, hatched and demarked area to reprimand another road user, F :)
5:46 No, I just turn left.
I think the driver of the Ford Mondeo at 3:43 should get a Z-. That must have been a terrible emerge.
8:11, pedestrian walks out, looks at car that is approaching and calmly continues to walk in front of the moving traffic.
Another potential Darwin Award winner.
Car in the left lane - I would just think ‘drat, got that wrong’, stuck with it, turned left and just reroute back again. Probably wouldn’t have cost any more time than would have been spent waiting at the back of the queue.
I don’t really see anything wrong with the last clip. I think they were assuming the red car was going to join into lane 2 like most people would, and the camera car brakes pretty much as soon as the red car comes into lane 1.
It the mindset of thinking emerging into lane 2 and it’s acceptable that’s the issue here.
Personally, if I'd accidentally got into a left-turn only lane and realised it at that point, I'd have turned left, then found a place to turn around - therefore, I'd only give them a 'B'
in that case, my thought was to turn left and rechart my course. my second thought was to wonder if it was really necessary to go where the viewer was going at that time of day.
The last clip, I don’t think viewer reacted poorly. The brake sound came the moment merger came into viewer’s lane.
What is the right thing to do for both? Merger go to right lane which is free? If that happens, okay for viewer to past on the left lane due to speed differences?
in my part of the states, the correct thing is for the person entering the road to enter the closest lane to them. and yes, in that circumstance, an undertake would be acceptable.