Driving Fail #50 | A REALLY Close Pass and Even Hands Free Is Distracting 

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That lorry driver at the end is just scary! Don't know what's more scary, his inattentive driving or the close pass at the start of your video...

Jeez those last clips, he's an awful driver..

"He's made me go from 56 down to 40" Clearly the crime of the century.

The last driver is like everything happens to me, I'm not at fault 😅

What an idiot the last guy was. I checked my mirrors lol. You’ve got to know the full picture around you. When so many cars make mistakes around you, you’ve got to take a look at yourself

7:38 - I love that the bus that ends up slowing down the impatient driver has "NOPE" written across it 😂

I'm going to show my mate those last few clips to explain why I won't take calls while driving, hands-free or not.

regarding the last driver; if you meet 3 bad drivers in less than a mile, maybe you're the bad driver. I think it wasn't the phone that was the problem.

Guy on the other end of the call was probably thinking, 'Mate I'm going to have to hang up before you crash'

That clip at 01:14 with the bus across the pedestrian crossing, we get something similar here every day. At the end of our road is a large multi-lane roundabout and there are puffin crossings on each side of the dual carriageway, with a central island between them. Almost every time we try and cross (as pedestrians) there, some eejit parks right across our path, so we either have to try and squeeze past or wait for another cycle of the lights. I think a lot of it is down to the fact that the crossing is far too close to the roundabout, it should be at least a couple of bus-lengths back. If an 18-wheeler stops first at the roundabout, nobody's going to be crossing any time soon.

Another good selection, Ashley. In the Police escapee clip, I would have stopped and held my position to give the Police options. By carrying on, the driver caught up with a truck which would have made things much harder for the Police as they re-engage with the pursuit.

7:53 not a driver, but as a pedestrian I live by those very words. Look both ways before crossing a one-way road, you never know who isn't paying attention.

3 of my biggest pet peeves. Tailgaters, wing-gaters (those who permanently glue themselves to your wing and/or in your mirror blind spot and refuse to overtake or drop back), and deliberate belligerent space closers (02:01).

The British Range Rover at 4:54 not only failed to notice the broken-down car, it was also speeding. The speed limit on autoroutes in France is 130 k/h (~80 m/h), which is the speed the camer was driving. It is not only irresponsible to drive fast on French roads, it's also risk because the French police are not leniant with foriegn drivers who break the speed limit. They can demand substantial on-the-spot fines, in cash. They wait for speeders at the péages.

2:12 My eye was on the merging traffic from the slip road, so the signaling from the maintenance vehicle was well predictable, and he did it early enough. Cam driver purposefully closed the space.

That wasn’t a Range Rover driving badly over in continental Europe, it was a Nissan Micra Estate that was being driven badly 😉

The situation at 03:50: That's why it's so important to think: What can I _not_ see? And who cannot see me? Accelerating past a larger vehicle in a situation like that can be very dangerous.

7:42 bus says nope!

0:07 Yikes! Back in my youth I had a moped. I made ONE brave journey along a fast rural A road. Some lorries passed less than a handle bar width from me and the air pressure as the cab passed tried to put me into the verge, followed by a vacuum trying to pull me under the trailer. Terrifying😮. After that experience I stuck to our minor roads and lanes.

With the lorry driver, he was both distracted and in a bad mindset of assuming that people aren't going to be doing things wrong, and thus being surprised when they do. The guy undertaking was obviously in the wrong, but he should always assume that someone might be doing that: indicate early to try and prevent people sneaking through, check the mirror multiple times before changing lane giving some time for whoever might be in his blindspot to get out of there. The phone distraction isn't helping at all, but you have to assume that people are going to be doing all kinds of stupid things and do what you can to lessen the risk to both themselves and you.

Those last clips is why you need to be silent when you need to focus more on the road and also to give a signal to the person you are talking to so they can be quiet. A passenger in the car can see what is going on and will respond accordingly. Talking on hands free isn’t so easy for the other person so a phrase like “I cant wait for my holiday tonight” (or something else that makes no sense in context) can be used as a signal for the other person to be quiet. Then carry on the conversation when the situation is over. While still legal, it is still a distraction and if an accident is caused it can be used against you. I am sure that phone call can wait until the next stop…you certainly used to be able to wait until the next stop before mobile phones were invented

Close passes are scarey, you said it. I was looking out my kitchen window (1st floor flat) when I saw the familiar figure of an elderly lady on her electric bike, fully decked out in helmet and loads of fluorescent clothing. A local numpty (driving a BMW) overtook her VERY closely. Why? An oncoming van prevented the BMW from going onto the opposite side of the road for long enough NOT to close pass the cyclist. She had a definite "wobble" when he passed her. Utter numpty in the Beemer...

In the UK, I find it's very rare for people to move into the outside lane when they see anything parked on the hard shoulder. I was taught to always do it when possible, even if there's no one stood around. Though it was my Dad who taught me that as we lived on the continent when I was younger.

That last lorry driver will end up killing someone one day. He see's only himself has a victim.

The final batch of clips show a drvier who is not observing and is a real danger to others.

I came across someone escaping from the police for the first time last week. I was actually on my MOD2 test for my A license. Had to quickly stop at a green light. It was a strange experience, but luckily my examiner decided I dealt with it perfectly

Those last three clips, ineffective observations, arrogance and distraction. I was looking in my mirrors but what about before that?

Seems to be a theme with range rovers. "out of my peasants, coming through"

Buses stopping on and blocking pedestrian crossings is one reason why bendy buses didn't last long in London. Rule 192 "You should not enter a pedestrian crossing if you are unable to completely clear the crossing"

0:07 yep they are scary, especially when you don't exepect a driver to commit to one.

The fact that lorry driver didn’t know where the van driver had emerged from (the services), proves he didn’t see him until he was right in front of him. I have my phone set to ignore all phone calls when I’m driving, it’s far too dangerous to be distracted when driving a car never mind a heavy truck.

That bus driver is something else, after all they are a professional snd as you say it's almost certain that they know the root well.

Amazing how often you can look at these saying 'brake, brake, brake' to yourself.

2:08 anticipate - one of the first things you (should) learn as a driver. Traffic joining has to join, so drivers already on the carriageway need to help make that process safe - it's in everyone's interest to do that - which often means making space. Also, the heavier/bigger the vehicle, the more time it takes to stop - so leave a big safety zone around them and let them get on with their job.

1:33 I like the ad on the back: Bus Driver vacancies. Now there's one more!

Regarding the last four clips, I would need to see what the chap's driving is like when he's not having a conversation to know if he was distracted. All I do know is: (a) most people can and do drive more competently than that while having a conversation and (b) we can tell from this guy's reaction that he thinks every near miss he has is entirely someone else's fault. As long as he continues to think like that, he will never learn. There may be times when you can't see another road user because they're in your blind spot, but they cannot get into your blind spot without being visible to you at some point. If you're monitoring your mirrors properly you will see them at that point and, rather obviously, if you haven't seen them drop back or turn off or overtake you then it's reasonable to assume they're probably in your blind spot. They won't have beamed up to the starship Enterprise.

It's not the phone in the hand nor the music on radio that causes the problem, it's the full concentration needed for the message your getting from phone or blue tooth that causes the problem. The Police need a chat with the last driver before he's involved in a serious accident.

Morning all!

One of my big pet peeves is motorbike groups like at 9:00, when any of them get separated instead of finding somewhere to safe to regroup, it's like they will disregard any and all road laws just to catch back up to their friends. 😬

I find the complete lack of awareness of people travelling in the second lane at approaching slip roads quite unbelievable at times. The driver seemed to be completely oblivious to the reason why the lorry was moving over. Not only that but a theres a total lack of understanding why vehicles move over and why people should allow them to. I always slow down a bit to create a gap uf theres merging traffic.

Those last few clips - Jeeez. It's scary to think who we are sharing the roads with.

The British registered Range Rover is fast becoming a meme in continental Europe.

Ashley at 1:57 there was also the moped overtaking the cammer that was worth highlighting as this can be just as dangerous as the bus.

That last one.. phew, this is a man who will never admit fault.

Last clip . HGV driver moved and indicated virtually at the same time. When moving left ( in the uk ) I was taught :- Mirror - signal - mirror - manoeuvre during my class 1 tuition. Saved me a few times.

That guy at the end, on his phone, should be reported to the Police. all the evidence is there, that he wasn't paying attention.

Hi Ashley, I dont know if you have ever been in The Netherlands because cycling in the Netherlands is way safer in the UK because we have so many bike paths. During my holiday in the UK I was surprised by the lack of bike lanes and paths. Im terrified of the idea that Im cycling and cars fly past me with 50 - 60 miles an hour😅.

That's just great, not only can I not now avoid RU-vid adverts, but the put it in the middle of you advertising Car Vertical. Wow.

In Simon's France motorway clip (4:15) he seems to be driving at a good speed (judging from the progress he's making and how he's passing other cars), leading me to assume that he's at or at least close to the speed limit (I believe 80mph). Which in turn indicates that our British Range Rover friend is quite likely to be speeding.

7:12 - the silver car be like "well if I'm to have an accident, at least the other guy will have what I need to fix my vehicle"

The Golf tries to pull out, but the bus says "Nope".

Some scary clips there. With regard to the 🚛 driver; that is a clear case of 📱 distraction. As a passenger I've witnessed a deterioration of concentration by the driver despite operating the hands free facility. Stay safe out there.

Yeah spot on with the bus at 1:20 looks like there's a van in front so there's no need for him to be blocking the zebra crossing. There's a similar junction where I work as a bus driver and I always hang back until the front car has cleared, even if I can't see any pedestrians. Simple stuff, especially for a professional.

Lorry driver was on the telephone? Careless driving

There is definitely problems on our roads with some junctions design. There is a traffic light roundabout near me on the M62 / M1, where both lanes can go right, and both lanes goes straight on - depending on which direction you've come from - so you often arrive at in, with the right lane car going straight, and the left lane car going right.

"Was that 'all of a sudden' as well?" Sick burn.

1:57 No mention of the motorcyclist that overtook the car waiting waiting before the crossing for the bus to move on.

7:33 Witnessed a very similar situation to this just today. Was at a mini roundabout, 3 cars ahead of me. Traffic turning right was jammed so no movement. Next thing I know the car in front reversed, swung around the 2 cars ahead onto the opposite side, made his way to the roundabout and turned left. Lucky no one was coming. When I eventually turned left as well, there he was stuck at the next set of lights, what a terrible risk for no payoff. Doubly bad was I had left a gap when behind him as there was a zebra crossing between us. Thank goodness no pedestrians tried to use it.

The last three clips clearly demonstrate the severe detriment (at least I hope so, cos if not, that viewer should not be driving trucks) to concentration that using a phone has. I saw the van and car emerges potential before you highlighted, and knew that there’d be a car on the inside of the truck. (I drive trucks for a living, and they’re all regular occurrences. Aside from junctions and steep hills, I almost never use the brakes.)

For the first clip, I was waiting for Ashley's catchphrase, lets see what the cyclist could of done differently 😊

Hands free or not, a conversation with someone IS distracting. A friend of mine was run over by an articulated lorry in 2020. The coroner's report just came out and revealed the driver of the truck had been on the phone to his friend for minutes before the incident, and all the way through it. He claimed he never saw her. Witnesses and CCTV showed that she was in front of him at the Junction and waving to him to indicate she was there. They set off... he went over the top of her, she died instantly. The coroner made the point that talking on the phone hands free is legal. Personally, I think it should be spelled lethal. RIP Carolyn.

Would be dead handy if you'd number the clips, thinking about 2:10 where you ask for the opinion but there's no simple shorthand to refer to the clip by ;) As for the prior bus clip, would be tempting (though escalatory) to press the emergency stop switch if a bus driver blocked me crossing, the little demon on my shoulder would be saying "press it!" anyway 😅

I've just got back from a ride, it was dreadful today, drivers seems to have left any patience they had at home. Three cars passed me at speed all crossing a solid white line and all relatively closely as I was going ~15mph. Then followed by two motorbikes passing close at speed. I don't want the hassle of needing to have a camera everytime I go out and then more hassle to report incidents. However, maybe in the end I will have no choice.

2:18 I can't believe someone submitted that clip thinking they were in the wrong! The mind boggles!

The driver at the end sounds like the security guard from the human centipede 2

Good to see a Range Rover being driven like a knob is a universal constant. That wagon driver at the end is going to cause carnage one day. Self-incriminatig clips there.

2:22 indeed! lol

For the last clip, checking your mirrors is excellent buddy just before your manoeuvrer, but you totally were not constantly checking them like you should be knowing full-well you were going to be moving back into that lane. The moment I want to change lanes the first thing I do is check the lane I am moving into, I see the cars in my lane and the lane I am wanting to moving into, I judge the spaces, speeds and car types or driving language. If I know I want to move back into a lane shortly afterwards (Such as passing an on-ramp) I will constantly asses the lane for changes, you very much were not doing that at all.

At the 430 bus driver, is a typical London double mini roundabout in Chelsea. It is a really difficult area to approach. Somehow I understand the but driver for being in such position but is no excuse to leave the crosswalk clear

I had to drive and use a hands free phone, dealing with difficult calls from customers being put through from my office, I hit curbs, missed exits etc. Once I was chased by Police on blue lights as I dealt with two calls at once from customers who were furious with the service we were providing. I was only alerted to there presents by the fact that all the cars infront of me were pulling into lane one.(speed exceed 90mph)The way I dealt with the officers prevented me from being banned or receiving points, I left the job shortly after this after working for the company for 24 years as a Senior area technician the best thing I could have done. PS I'm now an advance trained motorist.

Thanks Ashley. The four clips from the lorry driver are roughly 65-35 for me. In the first, three motorcycles have just overtaken him late to take the left exit, so I wonder if he saw the other one and if so, what he thought it was going to do. I thought he was least at fault for the third: sure, even the car's waiting position suggests impatience and possibly impetuosity (an emerge already aborted), but I still wouldn't have anticipated it just launching from stationary between two lorries going at similar speeds. Fourth clip, no argument. In the second too, he should have been able to read that the van wasn't going to stop, despite its necessarily slow speed on a very tightly curved slip. Tip for any viewers visiting Spaldwick or that petrol station and supermarket and wanting to take A14 west - there is a straighter and longer slip road, much better for emerging, at the other, west end of the village.

I dont think the driver in the last 3 clips should hold a license anymore.

Years ago when working and going out on London a certain bus drive drove like a twat every stop brakes slammed on to stop a 100m past the stop. I remember 1 time people where standing and falling over after a couple of the stops and being told to slow down 1 of the passengers pulled the emergency stop and told the bus driver he was getting the police if he didn't drive safely and would keep hitting the emergency stop button if he didn't. He then did drive more safely

Taxi drivers are the worst drivers for me!

Food for thought as always. At 08:25 it proves that "might is right".

the advert on the back of the bus window is pretty telling.. 'Bus Driver Vacancies'

That last clip tho... what an absolute plant pot... 😂😂😂

~2:10 - That starts off looking like a rubbish lane change by the tipper, then turns into a brilliant deviation when the ambulance appears in the slip road. ~5:30 - Don't the French actually time you between toll booths on the payage? If so, then someone may have been in a spot more bother than just card issues? Last 4 clips - brain in neutral, jaw in top gear!! 😉

I wish drivers didn’t drive so closely together on dual carriageways. They are actually shared routes between all road users but this kind of driving makes them unusable by vulnerable road users.

Lorry driver here and im going to pass serious judgement on the driver in those last 4 clips. The motorcycle. Yes it was a late exit but seeing a group of riders and where the others went if the driver had seen that last one in his mirror he could possibly have slowed and made the whole situation safer for everyone. The next clip that emerge could be seen a long way off and the outside lane remained clear. He could have moved out and kept his speed without issue infact another Lorry does this and overtakes. The third clip this was much more a case of a terrible emerge by the silver car but Ash highlights the car in the layby exit ahead again moving out or slowing slightly might have made this a non event. That final clip... again the focus shouldn't have undertaken Lorries have massive blind spots and we cant see everything all at once but the driver was distracted by his phone and looking for his exit. I wonder if he ever checked his mirrors at all. Overall much better planning would have possibly meant that all four of these clips wouldn't even exist.

I've used my mobile handsfree once a few years ago for about 20 seconds and found it massively distracting, I want 100% of my concentration on driving and felt even a small reduction was dangerous, I have never used it since.

Nearly had a scare when getting a second hand car before with my late dad. We were lucky that the previous owner brought it up and mentioned they only had one more payment to make after selling us the Freelander. They paid it off and we no longer had the danger of losing the car due to unpaid finances. Bet services such as what you mentioned can help avoid that. We don't need someone else's hire purchase rates on top of the average £2.5 -£3k+ for the car.

I never use the second lane in a two lane roundabout to go straight ahead as there's always an idiot in lane one who wants to turn right. The last time I did so (on the A12 / M25 interchange - which is FIVE LANE!), I almost had an accident with someone in lane one who wanted to turn right and so should have been in lane four or five. It's just not worth the risk. Keep smiling!

2:00 although signals don't give priority, it would be nice to let them out (like when your on the main carriageway and someone is merging from a junction). Plus if you did pass, you would be less than 2 seconds from the vehicle in front. The truck also started moving so although it should have waited, just hold back. And 9:21, just move over. I always do it wherever possible. To give safe room, I also avoid overtaking in lane 2 in case they change lanes when approaching a slip road. Ideally, the van should just stop due to the 0 slip road.

I don't drive (mostly because, with my tics, I don't trust myself behind the wheel, as well as me not living a lifestyle that makes it worth paying for a car) but I did used to play a lot of ETS2 and ATS before my wheel broke, and the difference in how much attention I could pay to the road between when I was playing solo and playing on a call with my friends was insane. I don't understand why people would use a phone, even on handsfree, while driving.

When I was getting the tunnel to France this summer we had a brand new black Range Rover in front of us. It nearly crashed into the wall of the train (how!) And then promptly opened the boot automatically into the roof of the train. I tried not to laugh.

In France it is common practice to keep your indicators on when you pull out and overtake vehicles, so that 'Simon' ought to have his left indicator working for the whole distance he was in lane 2, which ought to have informed the Brit RR what he was doing in lane 2. If that was the case then the RR's action is demonstrably worse. I've found that keeping the indicator on whilst passing another vehicle actually reinforces the need to keep to the LH lanes (in Britain) unless overtaking. I don't do it in UK simply because it would confuse and aggravate other drivers. Our Octavia was written off by a car in the LH lane attempting to circulate all the way around the roundabout on A50. Both cars had stopped at the giveway and proceeded at the same time when clear. Both lanes were clearly marked for the straight ahead being A50 on both entry and exit and the LH lane was for straight ahead and left turn only but the car in the LH lane continued to turn right, stoving in the front NS wing and damaging the steering. The insurers obviously attributed 100% blame to the other driver since we got a full, no quibble payout and payment of our excess from the other insurer and I understand that the insurer informed our broker that the accident was recorded as 'no blame'. The bikers were travelling in a group so that the last one may not have known where they were turning off and was possibly unsighted and in the wrong position to follow with the rest. Alternatively, blame the antics on the fact that they were riding 2-wheeled tractors! I first used a car phone back in 1980's and absolutely hated either receiving a call or having to make one as there is no doubt that it is distracting and we know that men can't multi-task! If you are having a conversation in a car with a passenger then the conversation can be paused to deal with driving because both people are aware what is happening. You can't do that with a phone call as most will try to carry on with a seamless conversation despite requiring all the attention on the driving. When I used a mobile in the car I would invariably have to stop to take/make a call that would then mean I would be late for the next meeting, which prompted me to first switch the phone off when driving and thereafter not use a mobile at all, with no detriment to my business.

5:04 In many states in the US (mine included), you are supposed to move over a lane on approach to a broken down or emergency vehicle on the shoulder, and if unable, to slow down by at least 10 mph. That cam driver did the right thing. That Range Rover did the British thing. :D

Whats your view on CB radios as used in trucks and how distracting theh may or may not be? Ive seen many truck drivers using them, and not many of them seem to be paying close attention to the road.

Glossop got featured! The cockney wagon driver clearly to me has a total lack of ability to focus on his job, use the phone when stationary if using for anything longer than a minute. All round checks aren't just for cars.

0:05 Utterly disgraceful - I hope that was reported to the police 1:56 Moped rider overtaking was also dangerous 2:06 Busy slip lane and early signal from the truck - obvious what to do (but not to your viewer) 3:55 The Toyota driver deserved to hear a horn but they knew they were in the wrong from the evasive action they took too 6:33 Back you go, side junction or no side junction 9:22 That trucker really needs to make fewer phone calls while driving - clearly distracted

Ashley take a look at this video on RU-vid from 1947,"Essex from a police car" even 76 years ago some cyclists didn't use cycle lanes, and a good example of a police car allowing a bus to pass a parked car turning it into a non event.. The good ol'days 😂😂

that last driver is an absolute div

video is 11 minutes 11 seconds? I love you!

Does the submitter of those last videos assume no one makes mistakes? I'd hate to share the road with him, jfc.

Talking on the phone is OK however you need to be aware and stop for a moment when needed. I often tell passengers shush.

That last guy clearly needs to re-take his HGV test.

As regards paying by credit card at the toll booth any delay might not be the driver's fault. I've got an Amex card and found out the hard way these are not accepted everywhere. I knew Bournemouth Airport car park doesn't accept them but neither does Bristol Airport drop off car park.

10:24 As soon as it was safe to go back into lane 1, he should have done so. Hanging about in lane 2 while not overtaking AND being unsure about taking the next exit is just poor.