Nice Driving #31 | The Opposite of Target Fixation

It's such a far cry from what you see on all those dash cam channels, where everyone accelerates into the risk. This is exactly why I only submit my videos to Ashley.

The women and kids crossing at 8:14 is my clip. Even though she holds back for me after the 2 kids have crossed, the only thought in my mind is "I'm not going anywhere until everyone is safely across - I have no control of what anyone behind me does."

1:20 If a dented car gives us a clue to poor driving- so does that monstrosity.

Could easily apply that logic to people who get impatient with cyclists too. “Its not your space you just got to wait for it”

At around 0:26 I was almost expecting another motorist to overtake our thoughtful cammer in the mistaken belief they were parking. Whenever I'm in a similar situation I will often switch on my right signal as I wait in order to reduce the chance of a misunderstanding.

4:52. I felt that the driver, on the A617 junction for Chesterfield, did well but I don't understand why he needed to be driving so fast on the roundabout, bearing in mind that unnecessary speed reduces the time you have to correct other peoples mistakes.

At around 8:09 re the "greatful jog". I know of a couple where the wife is Canadian and husband is British. Whenever they visit Canada, the husband still has this habit of jogging across the road when a car patiently waits for them. The wife just walks across at a normal pace and when she catches up with her British husband, asks him jokingly "Are you in some kind of a hurry dear?" I've noticed pedestrians in North America cross in front of waiting vehicles at a leisurely pace, often with their latte in hand and looking very nonchalant.

At around 3:05, kudos to our cammer for their patience waiting behind the stalled learner. Also kudos to the learner once they got going again re they took a good line turning the corner without cutting it. Many "experienced" drivers would have cut it.

That car 2:14 has had more hits than Elvis.

If DVSA are serious about new rule then they should put zebra on all round about 'junctions' to remove ambiguity. At least start with big ones...

At 1:25 when growing the space for the ambulance they keep creeping which communicates to the cars behind that they want to progress and are not just stopping. Perfect

3:10 This is my clip! I always tend to hold back and watch in these instances at roundabouts, especially when the car in the other lane is an Audi or a BMW - even if it means slowing down a bit, I never think 'this is my right of way' and carry on regardless in case the other driver changes lanes without looking like this. It has saved me from having accidents on a number of occasions!

5:07. Good reaction but not good driving, they were overtaking on a roundabout at the exact point where it was likely for someone to veer across in front of them, as you said “not enough staggered formation”

The looking-ahead tip is so underrated imo. When you plan in advance it can get you out of loads of tight spots and just make your overall drive more relaxed. However, the cars behind you don't always see it that way, which is why you'll get aggressive drivers giving you a hard time when you've slowed down for a hazard or pulled in for a cyclist to pass or whatever.

Anyone can have an off day but some people just don't have the awareness and skills. Nice to see switched on people showing how situations are sorted easily and are non-events.

At around 8:30, I'm not sure if there was any viable alternative but having a crossing point for pedestrians just around a blind corner off a relatively high speed road probably isn't the best arrangement. It does at least illustrate the principle of "Stop within the distance you can see to be clear".

Lovely series of clips to watch. Great techniques demonstrated. It's a good idea on shortened slip roads (especially in town) to hold back a little and only to accelerate to the merge point once you can actually see it. Far better than charging blindly into a road that will end soon, only to have to slam on the anchors and wait for an even longer gap to show up! Of course, it helps if your car is capable of decent acceleration - the kind that Ashley seems to favour driving, and for good reason. 😊

The sliproad clip at 6:54 is something I have to do all the time with a short sliproad (footage coming your way soon Ashley) and quite often I am actually stopped at the start of the sliproad The majority of drivers understand the situation however there are a few that get impatient, usually with a Hackney Carriage player on the rear of the vehicle. There have also been times when I have seen a slower vehicle in front already on the sliproad so I increase the gap between me and that vehicle so I then have acceleration space when needed. Many just follow and get into trouble when they can’t actually merge 🤷🏻‍

Target fixation often causes drivers to fixate on getting past cyclists. Just yesterday I had a car overtake me even though I was gaining on the car in front which was slowing down to turn right. It was the typical, bonnet just over my right shoulder and then pulling back when they realised they had made a mistake because they hadn’t looked ahead.

Thanks Ashley, it's great to see more people sharing their own good practice so thanks to them too. The clip at 3:11 is such a perfect demonstration, it's as though the two drivers set it up for a public information film. Perhaps to contrast with that at 4:51. Your viewer on the slip road at 6:58, likewise. A lot of hairy merges get on to dashcam channels despite the merging drivers appreciating that they are responsible for adjusting their speed to the traffic they're joining, when no-one in the nearest lane or two makes enough space. This one observed the space available well before the merge point (and accommodated the conditions) and reasoned that it was better to adjust the timing of the merge. Top work. At 8:45 where the bin lorry is across your viewer's route, obviously they needed to wait further back, as a bin lorry is not going to clear quickly. The new hazard then is that someone just sees a car stopped and sails past into the awkward zone - as shown in your Learning Point 410 three months ago.