BBC Breakfast Interview | Fraudulent Driving Tests
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 лип 2023
- Some people have been asking about my interview on BBC breakfast this week. Now with proper stereo audio!
Dash Camera Affiliate Links.
Car - Viofo - viofouk.co.uk/ashleyv10f01621...
Motorcycle - Innov - innovv.co.uk/ashley1nn0v13703...
Motorcycle, Bicycle and Equestrian - Techalogic - techalogic.co.uk/ashleyt3ck41...
Social Media
www.ashleyneal.com
/ ashleynealdrivinginstr...
ashleysanalysis@gmail.com
Amazon Links
Sony a6400 Camera - amzn.to/2xVCrn0
Sony A7C Camera - amzn.to/3JUvUIa
Tascam DR-10L Microphone - amzn.to/3M8P0fd
Sony FDR X3000 Action Camera - amzn.to/2YVoPDh
Trying to make your points on television, during a live broadcast, is really tough.
You did very well there.
I agree
It's not people going for their test too early that worries me in this world, it's full license holders that are too arrogant and even oblivious to adapt to any accommodated driving.
I passed after 12 lessons from no behind the wheel experience at 18, failed the theory twice before I passed that. We genuinely do need a reform of the tests as I genuinely think it took me at least 5 years to actually understand the roads and safety behind some of the laws and why they exist…
What is accomodated driving?
@@Kewickviper Perhaps not the best of words but basically to help out more on the roads.
I passed my car licence test without a single lesson first time, since then I’ve also passed my CBT and DAC course then on to the Police motorcycle course and IAM advanced course, all lessons were provided by myself, all knowledge was gained by myself (credit to mentors where due), when I see people put out blanket statements like this it’s often true they themselves are guilty of exactly that they accuse others of. If you have ever done an advanced course you will know how to reduce risk including how to remove your ego from any given situation.
@@ragetobe I'm not guilty of anything, just stating observation from the world i've seen. Can you give me a legitimate argument instead of flexing, that's what your comment is.
I understand what Ashley says about people taking the tests too early, my instructor had the same issue with another student. Some people are taught how to pass the test and not how to drive thankfully my instructor taught me how to drive, and I'll be forever grateful 😊
Same.
My instructor spent the first 20ish lessons teaching me to drive and then the next lessons was teaching to pass the test like you (which I did second time)
In Australia (NSW at least) You are supposed to drive 120 hours before you can even attempt the test. Perhaps this is a bit much, and a hassle for parents or partners who need to take up a lot of the teaching responsibilities, but the pass rate is much, much higher on what is essentially the same test. For certain, me and my friends were all better drivers than the people I know here in England who have just passed their tests with probably only 20-30 hours under their belts. The main thing causing us danger was more our stupidity and risk taking, rather than our incompetence.
I got a student just two weeks ago; she'd been learning through a friend. She told me on Thursday that her test is on Monday. I told her straight up that because she's not at the standard *I* think she should be at to pass her test that I wouldn't be taking her.
...so she's doing it in her own car.
I feel for the examiners who have to go into someone's personal car with no dual controls, having zero clue of their standards before going on the road. At least a licensed instructor should be providing learners who are competent, but with people who come of their own volition could have had literally no time behind the wheel and put the examiner's life in their own hands.
@@IndiBrony yes, my instructor once had a student who's Mum kept on moving his test further forward and she hadn't actually taught him all the manoeuvres! Full credit to you driving instructors, I know I could never do it myself 😅! I'm forever grateful for all my instructor taught me and I kind of miss our lessons.
Six months? I tried to book one back in March and they were fully booked well into 2024, really stressing me out!!!
Good job Ashley, you were cool, calm and collected and made really good points!
He’s always calm and collected to be fair. Knew he’d be a natural on TV.
One of the best pieces of advice I was given by my late dad regarding my driving lessons was this; take the test when you *think you* are ready. I was probably ready to take my test long before I thought I was. This was back in 2012 and passed first time that year.
I passed first time too! That was in June this year!
@@picklestheswift congratulations!
I had the same advice but did my test during lockdown, so I still had to wait several months after I was ready, but to be honest the daily practice leading up to that probably helped me pass first time too
@@BaldMancTwat that's unfortunate about lockdown stalling things for you but congratulations on passing!
Sound advice for anybody with common sense, unfortunately these days common sense doesn't seem so common and people think they're ready to take the test once they can pull off without stalling.
Wow Ash, this was a real surprise and great to watch. Great well spoken voice too. I mean, I always knew you had a good voice from your videos of course but it really shined through in this tv interview.
1:52 you're correct. The examiner had a high resolution coloured picture of me on his tablet and made sure it was me. He took a good look around 5-7 seconds
I think years of UA-cam experience served you very well there Ashley. Though I can tell you're a bit nervous (not a surprise given you're speaking on national television) you're an excellent communicator and that comes through here.
Thanks for posting this Ash, was told about it by a friend at work who knew i watched your channel. After i failed my first test in 1992 (which i failed)i was only 1 month before i resat my test and now its unbelievable how long it is to re take tests, no wonder the scammers are taking advantage.
What's really infuriating to me is that my theory runs out on August 2nd, and I'll be forced to redo it again, even though I've been trying to book a driving test for over a year at this point. I fail to see how that is my fault and why I should be penalised for it.
Yh, it's bollox m8, that happened to my oldest lad when he was 17, he's 21 now. and still not had a practical test cuz he's failed the theory a few times since
Mine ran out because I couldn't have tests due to covid. I understand needing to retake, but having to pay again is bs imo.
Thicko's.
I just applied for my provisional, your more helpful than ever and well done for making it on TV!
Great interview Ashley. Thank you for uploading this. Keep up the great work as always. Well done👏
Nice to see you helping people to be aware outside of youtube, correcting the preaenters on their misconceptions, nice one!
Given how poor driving standards have become, i suspect there are millions out there who have not done a lesson let alone a test.
Wonderful to see Ashley on prime tv. You deserve it. I’m totally delighted for you 👋👋👋
I would have no issue in renewing my photo card every few years. Hair styles (or amount of hair for some of us) and also life itself can change a lot of our features
I was asked my date of birth when I took my first test over 20 years ago and then I was asked my postcode on my second test. I think those sort of questions will catch the vast majority out if they aren’t who they say they are
Good interview and good to get the awareness out there 👍
I hate my driving license photo, I look like a wanted criminal, I can't wait to get my renewal photo in 2033 😂
@@picklestheswift On my old licence photo I looked like an escaped pirate 🏴☠️
@@smilerbob I know it's so embarrassing, my instructor wanted to see that I definitely had my license on my test day and she kept laughing at it 😕🤦
@@picklestheswift *Licence*
@@picklestheswift There's nothing forcing you to wait.
Slightly different issue I know, but when I was having lessons 20+ years ago, my instructor told me that he had pupils who would be dropped off at the end of a lesson and quite blatantly drive off in their own cars to do the school run. Also he had repeat test failures who openly said they would drive illegally if they failed again.
Part of my job is to go out and inspect damaged vehicles that have been involved in an RTC. Sometimes we're also instructed to cold call the policyholder to check if their description matches the person identified at the scene of the collision
Amazing Ash!
This might feel a bit like the culmination of all your hard work, being on national television, but you have helped me to be a better driver, you no doubt help hundreds of others every week, and this is just a stepping stone to greater and greater success.
Keep up the amazing work, mate.
You conducted yourself really well here, and got some excellent points across. Nicely done 👌
I did my driving lessons earlier in 2023. I lived in Folkestone at the time. My theory was in January 2023, I then booked my practical. The earliest date was September 2023! If it wasn’t for the apps available, I wouldn’t have been able to get earlier booking - in the end I was fortunate to get a last minute cancellation in May 2023! The waiting list and wait time for exams was ludicrous. It needs a major overhaul as the DVLA are clearly incompetent at managing the process efficiently.
Well done Ashley, been watching your channel for a few years now. Great to see!!
People might not be so desperate to pass their test, if after failing there was the option of viable, reliable and affordable public transport to enable them to progress their lives.
Not really. When you’re young you just want to drive around with your friends and feel free for the first time. It sucks that these days you can’t even find a single test online for booking.
@@BuddySpike101The way you talk has me thinking you've never experienced truly good public transport.
Completely agree, the public transport in the UK is non-existent
Sadly been happening for years. Now it is happening more. All because of lock downs and lack of examinations. I'd be happy with Ash doing both jobs instruct and examine. So long as it isn't their own students what's the issue
the pay and working environment is so much worse for an examiner than an instructor and considering Ash also trains instructors i can't imagine he'd be too keen on becoming an examiner. At least they're the issues i can see with it.
I'm glad you didn't blame "Covid"
I feel one of the points for people to go quite so far is the feeling of need to get one to work. Asking people if they own a car on an application form or employers not giving any leniency for those whom need to take public transport.
Ooooh - look - our Ashley's on telly!
Well done, Ashley. Keep up the good work.
Conducted yourself really well in this little interview. Awesome that you got to do this in the studio this time Ashley!
I must say I don't find the rise in fraudulent testing surprising. I started learning to drive at the back end of 2020, and with the immense wait times, and the added pressure of failing, and then having to wait for months for another test date, I definitely fell into the "I just want this over with" mentality. I had been learning to drive for more than a year and was confident.
It was just doing that test. I was thankfully able to pass earlier this year but I could definitely see a lot of people doing whatever it takes to get through that test to just be on the road.
I completely agree! I passed during covid 21 and if I’d have failed I’d have had to start from “scratch” and redo my theory. Thankfully I’d taken my time and put a lot of energy in to my learning that this wasn’t necessary but the pressure was definitely still there! I can see how people get desperate.
I passed My test 12 days after My birthday
Thanks for sharing this Ashley. I thought you were brilliant on the show 👍
Well done Ashley! Thanks for this 👏🏻🙏🏻
5-6 months wait time? Pish! When I did my retake, I had to wait 10 months. While preparing for that next test my instructor informed me that the wait list was now at 18 months.
Depends on the area.
Pretending to be someone else for a driving test has been going on for years that I can remember, comes to light now and again.
Ashley. Thank you for hilighting this problem on National television.That will go some way to putting an end to this illegal activity.It's very scary knowing that there could be some illegal drivers on the same road as yourself.That may also explain why there has been a decline in road courtasy over the years.Of course ,the ammount of road traffic these day's dosen't help.I believe that my last point makes people desperate & that's why they take those dangerous short cut's.
Interesting to pick up on the pictures on licenses - Mine is actually from when I was 13 / 14, taken from my passport and then somehow allowed to be placed onto my driving license which is down to last me until I’m 28…
These adverts are all over facebook right now and it drives me insane! We have enough idiots on the road, people are literally using fake ID's to sit the test on someone elses' behalf.. i hope they get caught and sent down!
What great set love the lighting
The driving licence is also one ID which can be used for rent, phone plans, School admissions, etc.
Thanks for posting this Ash.
Great interview.
The old joke about getting a D/L from a Cereal packet really does spring to mind here.
I've reported many inappropriate posts on UA-cam in the past for reasons but - like a Boomerang - they keep coming back.
Some of the problems definitely are down to the Palatforms AND the lack of timely intervention to remove posts/links/sites.
Its definitely an uphill struggle.
Stay safe out there.
As someone who holds a keen interest in driving and road safety, becoming a qualified instructor is something i have considered doing in the past. If I choose to do so (which I am again strongly considering) I would be honored to be in the Glasgow franchise of the Ashley Neal School of Motoring!
I'm told (yes, ok, by friends and family..!) that I'm a reasonably good driver (I hold motorcycle, car and until I retired, bus) licences, but I don't have the patience to teach people. I take my hat off to Ashley and those like him, who do.
There's a lot of pressure to pass first time now. A friend of mine booked his test in Oct 2022 for Feb 2023. It was cancelled and moved to May 2023, he didn't pass and his next test is Oct 2023...
Since I failed my driving test before I went to University, and then lived for a long time close to where I worked, I ended up re-taking my test nearly 20 years later. What astonished me was the degree of anti-cheating measures implemented in the theory exam. Clearly there has been some problems arising there as well.
Who would need to cheat in that, it's so simple, a child could pass it.
On a similar note, some years I knew 3 brothers that shared one taxi badge as they looked sort of alike in the photo.
Wow you're basically a celebrity now! Congrats - this is huge!
In 1976 i waited much longer for a test (8- 9 months) , no one then seemed concerned it was the norm.
In '77 I didn't wait very long after failing
yea but there was also far less cars on the road then and i guess less of a need to drive for most people. I've got so many students at the moment who can't get the job or the promotion they need/want until they have a licence
@@TheSGRob Yes that is a problem i agree. I did not need a licence in 76, but it did help me get to work easier. The test these days looks so much harder. I think my C +E way back was easier than the car test is now.
In Italy the police stopped an old man and it came out he had no driving license, he had been driving to work and in his home area for 50 years no problem at all😂😂😂
Awesome. You did great, well done !
Smashed it Ashley, you did. Smash it, love the awesome video
Congrats Ashley to being on BBC Breakfast, well deserved!
About the subject, the same is apparently in Scotland, where you have to wait for basic lessons for at least 6 months. That is from a friend of mine that is currently learning. Hope the situation will improve soon
Stay safe everyone on the roads!
I was a driving instructor in the late eighties/early nineties and these things were issues back then. Especially the people who wanted to take the test too early. I refused to take a few for precisely that reason. These days, I teach motorcycles. It works a little differently as the instructor taking someone to test isn't necessarily the same one who taught them, as we have to be licenced though a school, not as individuals. It is the school that then faces reputational damage if people are consistently not ready.
Mad that retests could take half a year. I took four attempts around 12 years ago and remember being able to book retests within a few weeks, sometimes as quick as two weeks if theres cancellation but these days are rare for that to happen due to the pandemic
I had two great driving instructors, my official one (Jack) and my dad, who was one of the safest drivers there was, he drove for a living. After around a dozen lessons and three months, aged 18, I just failed first time (I blamed to not too good gearbox on the instructor's car), but 5 weeks later, after the gearbox had been repaired, I passed. In other countries, they sometimes take fingerprints, possibly biometric driving licences might be the answer.
Regarding the out of date photos on driving licences, it's even worse than you mentioned. I've just renewed my photocard, and because I have a valid passport, I was able to use the photo from that. The problem is, my passport was issued in 2014. By the time my licence needs renewing again, the photo on there will be around 18 years old!!
Oh hey man, nice job on the interview!
Went to look for your interview on Iplayer but they remove the breakfast shows. Cheers Ashley
Just to add to your comment about the photo on the licence being old, when we applied for my son's provisional we sent off a new photo, but the DVLA used the one from his passport, taken when he was 12. A similar thing happened with my ADI badge when I renewed it. It seems the DVLA and DVSA are taking the easy route when producing licences rather than ensuring up to date photos are used.
Can't stop it,i heard of an examiner working with a driving instructor offering a pass for £1500 after lessons.
I passes my ADI part 1 back in march. I've applied for a date for my ADI part 2 and heard nothing as of yet. So it's not only students who are struggling. I'm under a 2 year time limit to get part 2 AND part 3 done.... I'm increasingly believing that I may never become a driving instructor.
Absolutely superb!
Ashley Neal is focking brilliant! My van has an Ashley Neal button installed that I press when I drive. MAKE IT A NON EVENT AND DRIVE CAREFULLY! :)
After many years of experience on the road it's almost comical to hear people worry about fraudulent license holders... I see daily valid license holders who can't even navigate a roundabout, let's put things into perspective.
True
Very true. Ever noticed the total hesitation of some when confronted by a roundabout that is just white paint on the road instead of a big circle covered in grass and flowers.
I mean roundabouts aren't exactly the nicest of things lol as someone who hadn't driven much or at all for three years. Right turns also take a bit of getting used to
We do have photo licences these days whereas the green licences had only a signature to confirm identity. i also remember a case a few years back where one guy had taken a couple of hundred tests as an imposter. The authorities did notice that the same credit card had bee used on each occasion which aroused suspicion.
Back in the day before there was photo ID on licences, it was even easier. A mate of mine offered me 200 quid to take his test for him. I turned the offer down, so he took the test himself and passed with flying colours.
I worked hard to pass and pay for my test a lot like others -and I would really hate to get in an incident with a driver who ain’t registered
@ashleyneal Hollywood next making a film about a driving instructor going undercover!! Well represented Mr Neal.
Peterborough Leicester Birmingham Luton and South London all seem to have a ton of Driver fraud committed, there is also a large community of drivers in these cities that don't have a licence and are driving, it needs addressing.
I wonder who that community could be in those cities?
Add Bradford to that. One licence per family at most.
@susanwestern6434 No you don't.
My boy AN making the news again, respec man your videos are great
Good to see you on TV Ash !
I've just renewed my driving licence because it went out of date (10 years old). I applied for my new licence online and it has the exact same picture.
A very professional performance Ashley. The proof is that you didn't even need a glass of water or a brew on the table, as most peoples' throats would dry up with the anxiety of going on TV, for the first time?
Fantastic work, Ashley. You made some great points and presented brilliantly. Your knowledge was fantastic and you clearly prepared well. Your UA-cam channel is amazing and I'm not a big fan of Mainstream media, but some of the messages you teach here on UA-cam really need to be reach a much wider audience. If this gets you one step closer to making "Make it a non-issue" a national culture, it's good by me.
. The only constructive feedback is to try and "umm" and "err" less... but for someone who isn't used to being in more formal interviews, you didn't do it as much as most people do. I'm just being nit picky about it.
I used to have a supervisor that would count every single "umm" or "err" I would do whilst speaking publicly, and then tell me after. They seemed very happy when the number was 0, but it took a lot of presentations to get there.
Nice appearance on TV, Ashley.
Unlike most politicians who appear on TV, you made sensible observations and were coherent. Don't give up the day job, though...
Awesome Ash 🎉🎉🎉🎉
My test is booked for November, in theory I could pass it now, but I'll keep doing the lessons.
Main problem is hesitation at T junctions when turning right, I suppose it's better to hesitate and get a minor than cause a car to slow down(or collide) and a get a serious/dangerous.
If that's your main problem you'll probably be alright. Driven examiners don't expect you to take the smallest gaps possible.
You are absolutely correct! Hopefully this will never happen to you, but consider that in a frontal impact, an average car provides 500mm of distance From first detection of an impact to seatbelt tensioners and airbags deploying etc there is in electrical terms quite a bit of time. The engineers also have "lots" of space to add in every bit of absorbency they can think off.
Now consider a side impact, from the detection to the passenger you may be looking at 100/150mm of distance, and things happen harder and faster. And the engineers have fewer options to protect the passengers.
Take your time turning right. Do you know that in the US UPS trucks are actually routed to avoid the left turn for the reason of avoiding the most serious type of impact?
Hesitation is also an unfair one in my book, in many situations a second look can be invaluable.
Good luck, drive safe and never ever stop learning.
I passed my test in 2000, I failed 3 times, passed on the 4th attempt and I think it made me a better driver, I have been driving for 23 years now, never had an accident, I have had near misses usually caused by the other driver, but I always remember my mistakes and I think that makes me a better driver, my first year or 2 of driving the near misses were mostly my fault but you learn from them
It's worrying but there does seem to be methods in place when it comes to photo ID, despite what people think (due to confirmation bias usually) Britain is a great place to drive, some of the lowest accident rates in the world and I hope that doesn't change.
Well said Ashley, TV star!
How things have changed, there is no photo on my license, the young ladies at the car hire service has never seen one like it before!
Licence *
@@jfluffydog2110sticker in the post for you
@@sarac.3259 Are you sure you don't need help spelling my address?
Licence is the noun and license is the verb . However license is used as a noun and a verb in America.
@@thomaselliot2257 I'm aware.
I was learning during covid. On my first test had 1 minor at 40mins in. Then i messed up my parallel park and failed. Because of the state of tests the wait was 4 months bk then and only got worse. I passed 2nd time with 2 minors. however i didnt wait 4 months for the 2nd test. I managed to get another test within 3 weeks using cancellation apps. For fraud maybe take away the use own car option so that the instructor has to bring you, this will cut out alot of the fraud as now the instructor can be held liable for the fraud also. Instructors will have to charge the minimum fee obvs for their time but in the grand scheme. Most people have their instructors bring them to the test center anyway, so jst make it mandatory.
you know what i`d like to see statistics on this namely race, nationality, age, sex, location of testing/instruction because i bet this problem might not really be a "english" problem... also believe it may have issues to do with the way examiners bias examinations eg person testing my mum when she was 40 gave her the most leniency humanly possible but then me doing my test at 19 i couldnt do so much as fart without failing the test .... honestly the reason i passed my last test was because i worn jeans instead of tracky pants was not my idea was my instructures idea.. it worked!!
sure I was a few months between resits for mine back in 2018/2019
This has always been an issue , even fourty years ago when I took my test. There have always been scallys that would do take driving tests for you. The only change is advertising on social media.
Just another reason to issue a national identification card. It's harder to scam your test if you have to present your government issued photo id.
It's been happening for years. There was a girl I worked with that was totally hopeless at driving. One day I jokingly asked "who passed your test for you" she wasn't the brightest of sparks and answered "my cousin" before realising what she'd confessed to.
Did you report her?
I hope you reported the scumbag to the police
She might of meant that the cousin gave her good advice or just did driving lessons with her cousin not actually the cousin talking the test lol
As an ex driving instructor. When people phone asking for lessons. Invariably, they want as few lessons as they can get away with and as cheap as possible.
Been happening for years. Was even worse before photo id, when it was just the paper licence. I know a guy that used to make extra cash by taking peoples tests for them. I honestly hate to think how many people from the 80/90's never actually took their own driving test!
My driving instructor told me people were getting their mates to pass the test for them over 20 years ago.
*I hope that they know just how famous of a person they had on their programme is.*
If I was them I would have asked for an autograph.👍
5-6 months now! Damn. Back in 2014 I think it was 2 months at the maximum but I think it was easy to get a cancelled slot in less time
Super 🌟 Ashley 👌🏻
years ago before photo licences my friend also an instructor had a young chap for lessons and he got out of his car one day and got in his brothers taxi and did shifts for him...he confronted him and the chap said oh its common amongst asians with the same name....tbf he said he was a good driver and went on to pass his test...
Prime Time Ashley. Well done.
I used ‘Testi’ and paid £10 to resit my test 2 weeks after my first.
There needs to be a huge uplift in testing because in my opinion the so-called qualified drivers should be retested at regular intervals. There should be a ten or even five year mandatory retest requirement plus any accidents or offences should trigger an immediate retest requirement.
I get it that there is a shortage of instructors and testers but safety on the road and addressing the collapse in standards of driving with ever-congested roads needs seriously addressing.
Driving is a privilege, not an entitlement.
Presumably that re-testing requirement would apply to you as-well?
After all, you wouldnt be saying "That only applies to thee, and not me", would you?
Nice interview!
When it comes to the licence picture mine is even younger than was mentioned. I just used my passport photo from when I was just 13 and my license is valid till I’m 28.
Good to see you finally got yourself on TV
I've still got the picture on my driving license from when I was 17 and I'm 31 now! XD
I'm pretty sure there's a large demographic where I live in S London that don't have insurance or a proper license. There is very little the police will do about it.
My photocard was renewed 2 years ago. At the time I allowed them to take my passport photo.. my passport was 9 years old at that point.. so by the time I get my next photocard licence the pic will be nearly 20 years out of date 😆
I already look completely different!
I can't even get learner driver insurance for my 21 year old daughter because we're in the wrong post code.
looking at the driving standards these days i'm not surprised. Corruption runs deep