After my recent video where Cars kept on crashing into a house one of the conclusions I came to is people drive on narrow country roads too quickly. In this video, I look at how I deal with them.
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But hi everyone you may have seen my recent video where I looked at the house that kept on getting crashed into well I’ve just filmed that today and a part of the analysis that I came up with was how people drive on the roads around here
Where I am at the moment in Epping in Essex so I’m just going to go and have a little look about what I would do in situations like this it’s something and scrapes me off this view out of the house where I’m staying is absolutely awful
So you just kind of Edge and creep and still be ready even if someone came so yeah where I’m staying these roads are single track roads uh you would have to deal with vehicles if they came the other way by using entrances maybe some verges but
I did say on the video like I’ve just explained that sometimes what I’ve found is the drivers who drive on these type of roads they approach things way too quick even coming back from filming before I had a vehicle come up this way they were good as goals but I had to
Reverse into this entrance foreign and that should always be an option you need to keep thinking where was the last passing place that you came back or came past and at the moment it’s here so if someone came now it would have been easy reverse for me
Now this road is unsuitable for heavy Goods vehicles should should mean that there’s no one coming but um you never know sometimes people just ignore the rules but notice my speed there I’m tickling it round there’s my pass in place I’m constantly thinking of this but we shouldn’t have
Any lorries coming either way but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to get some wide cars cars nowadays they’re much much wider than when I learned a couple little passing places here but it’s been super ready and super careful if someone just flies around this corner I’ve got to be ready to stop
No problems the road stretches out we’re thinking of limit points here limit points the furthest point we can see and you’ve got to drive in relation to that limit point so if your limit point like now stretches out in way and in front of you you can go a little bit quicker
Can’t go too fast because of the uh entrance to the building and that’s my little pass in place to that left side now I’ve got slower because my limit point is closer but I’m matching my speed to how quickly my limit point moves and that’s how you know you’re
Pretty good so look what’s happening here I’m getting closer to my limit point although the limit point is just starting to move a little bit I’ve got to be super careful in case someone’s doing the wrong thing especially downhill here that’s my little passing point
New watch I’m gonna drive all the way up this road we’re not going to have an absolute thing but um the road a little bit further up does widen um it’s still not brilliantly wide there’s loads of these roads around here and uh honestly it’s common you’ve just got to be on
Your toes there we go so how are we going to deal with this the passing point is that entrance and that car has and brilliantly sourced it out really quick so the locals are going to suss this out but I do think that sometimes locals do take a little bit of a risk
I’m just going to position out to the right hand side this time to get an earlier View and by doing that that’s my last little passing point um by doing this by keeping a position and using the whole Road you may think oh so passing Point here we go
Because I positioned early has he got enough room yes he has no bothers all good so do you notice by positioning out wide early I was able to see sooner they were able to see me sooner and it literally just fixed the situation I was ready to
Reverse there wasn’t a lot of room there for that guy just got to show a little bit of caution here The Junction to deal with this one’s pretty awkward as well it’s okay we’re fine um yeah that little situation with a guy in the van come the other way the the
Uh not the curb The Verge across the other side I had a big pothole pothole in so that’s why he was extra slow what I would have done if he if he wasn’t happy there I would have literally um gone forward a bit more and then reversed back into that little entrance
If there’s not much room to steer in you can see what I mean about the holes at the side of the road now these are the roads where you might be able to make a little bit more progress but just think of the width my right wheel’s just inside that line
And the left wheels just inside this line so if something big came the other way and that pinch is there as well but if someone came the other way honestly and you’re approaching way too quick you’re going to be clipping Wing mirrors or even wings of cars so
Um honestly it’s no good bigger vehicle come the other way and I know people moan and speed of that I know people moan there’s pedestrian warning sign as well I know he’s coming out of this uh more risky area but um it’s a little bit quick in my opinion
And that goes back to the video that I’ve done on the junction that I mentioned if you haven’t seen it please do check it out so the best passing place is here it widens or sorry Narrows where the yellow car is now and I just held back at the widest
Points jacked moved in towards the left-hand side so even though I’ve got priority there’s no obstructions on my road if the road simply isn’t wide enough for two vehicles you have to do something about it um notice my Pace while I’ve been driving as well it’s just not panicked I
Can still talk and drive as well and if you feel as though you can talk and drive you’re generally at a reasonable Pace if you can’t talk and drive honestly you might be driving that little bit too quick so verbalize of what you’re doing um can be a good skill not saying talk
To camera I don’t talk to camera I occasionally look across towards my left mirror and it makes people think that I’m looking at the camera um but no I’m conscious of the camera being there but no I’m just talking and watching what’s going on but verbalize
The stuff that you do yourself so these roads um it’s not something that I encounter a lot in Liverpool um I know certain parts of the country we’ve seen it many times from Devon and those type of areas that you’re going to get single track roads but I’ve
Encountered a lot around here notice my speed there again I’m going to do the same no one’s overtaking me a position wide and early just so if someone did came or did come sorry total use of English there Ashley um people would see me here I’m just
Making sure I’m slow enough until I know it’s good so how do you cope with those roads um would you be driving a little bit faster than I was driving there if so it might be time just to slow it down a little let me know what you think in the
Comments and what part of the country do you live in and are there many roads like that where you live because like I said there’s not many in Liverpool keep safe I’ll see you soon
50 Comments
Plenty of roads like that in Cheshire. On roads with two lanes I generally assume you must drive slow enough to stop in the distance you can see… on single lane roads you have to be able to stop in half the distance you can see (the other vehicle needs the other half of the stopping zone you can see). Not sure if all the drivers I see around here drive like that.
The trouble is you're at the mercy of drivers coming towards you if the road's not wide enough for two vehicles. My wife was hit by a white van on a blind corner, she was going slow and pulled in and stopped but the van was going too fast and ended up writing off her car, fortunately she wasn't hurt but there was no way she could avoid the accident.
A nice thumbs up or raise of the hand to say thanks goes a long way.
60 mph on country roads?? I’ve recently come back from a holiday in Norfolk where there are quite a few narrow country roads with National Speed limits of 60 mph. There is no way I could drive anywhere near this speed, I may be a little too cautious but I can’t seem to be able to drive any more than 50 mph. On some of these roads I am driving at what is safe for me but there is often someone else who wants to go faster and is closer to me than I would like, I would always pull over when safe to let them pass. Is there anyone who can actually drive at 60 mph on these roads? I would like to know.
Whilst it may be no HGVs, a JCB tractor towing a trailer full of straw bales is wide, heavy and relatively fast for those roads and I have seen one lock up who was going too fast in the wilds of Scotland. Full wheel lock up on a rig like that is quite impressive, but not when its hurtling towards you!
Best advice for narrow roads.
"If I was driving the other way and I met myself coming the other way at the same speed could we both stop?".
Petty, I know, but this footage was very blurry for me.
Anyhoo, I live in rural Norfolk this way of driving is nature to me.
Be aware, look ahead, give way and use passing places.
Not hard really.
I was always taught to sound the horn on the approach to blind bends like this, where you can't clearly see if anyone might be coming in the opposite direction.
Big wide Cars don't help the situation
Unsuitable for HGVs doesn't mean there won't be any.
Gas, oil, building merchants, refuse collection, local farms………. Life goes on….
It is worth noting that lorries and tractors are at a disadvantage on country roads with tall hedges and dense trees.
They trim hedges back at the base, but not always higher up, so tractors and lorries risk smashing or ripping off their mirrors if they go tight to the edge of rhe road.
Grew up in Northamptonshire and there are a good few sibgle track roads. Have driven a lot in the highlands and that gets you used to them pretty quickly. Live in Northumberland and there's plenty round here.
Worst place for sibgle track roads ive been too is Cornwall as theres usually high hedges or the roads in a cut which give you no room to manoeuvre and very little visibility. Have had to reverse back for a tractor quite a few times down there.
Little tip for driving these roads at night. I frequently dip my high beams when I get to passing places so it’s easier to see the lights of other cars coming round the bend the other way.
Good stuff here Ash. I used to drum it into learners heads and when doing fleet work the importance concerning the limit point, not only on country lanes but in general. I think it’s one of the most important safety advice you can give, plenty of country lanes where I live and on test routes in Lichfield where most of my learners went on test!
Hi Ashley, could you use the guideline be able to stop in half the distance you can see to be clear on a narrow road that isn’t wide enough for 2 vehicles? What do you think?all the best, Alan
In Scotland where i am there are loads of really bad country lanes i have no border with them
Simple rule – always be able to stop in HALF the distance you can see to be clear on narrow/single track roads & on wider roads whenever you have to cross or straddle the centre line. If you imagine you're having to drive on the "wrong" side of the road when on a single track road and take suitable precautions including considering use of the horn, you won't go far wrong.
This video should be titled "Common Sense", unfortunately videos like this are needed, unfortunately the people who need videos like this aren't going to be watching this channel.
I live in the country so plenty roads like these. The worst is the one up to my relatives house. I've learnt never to visit him on a Tuesday morning because that's bin wagon day 😂 He's just made the local council come and clear all the ditches and cut back the vegetation, which has helped a bit.
People planting rocks and short wooden posts outside their property also reduce the number of passing points.
Top tip for your blind corner Ashley as you pulled out, open your window and listen. I live and grew up in rural England and have driven on these roads all my life and seen it all. Also, when these rural roads develop centre broken markings, really often a good idea to get out the gutter and straddle it, especially when there are no cats eyes. Saves car wear and gives you the line around left turns. To tuck back in takes about 10 metres.
do u get snow there and what do u do if yes ?
Unsuitable for HGVs does not mean that HGVs cannot use the road. Please remember that people and businesses in rural areas do have to have deliveries.
The reason that loacals often drive too fast is because they are familiar with the road, and they 'tune out' the areas that are safer, and only really think about the known trouble spots like narrow or twisty sections. This means that they aren't really driving-to-conditions, so much as driving-to-memory. Therefore if something unusual comes up, they can get caught out just as easily as someone unfamiliar with the road.
I've done some of those kinds of roads when I was in Scotland. I had the added fun of driving a car with the steering wheel on the left side. You see a lot less of the road when driving on the left side in such a vehicle. About the only advantage you have is if you have to go to the side, you can really see well how far you can go (if there's a ditch for instance).
I don't do these roads often (or at all where I live), but still, it just a question of situational awareness. Know where the last passing point is and be polite if you see someone coming up and you're just at a passing point, stop and let them come through. If everybody does this, there's no problem (ideal situation, I know).
Thanks Ashley, as a relatively new driver myself, I’ve been nervous about narrow lane driving. Kent is notorious for narrow lanes around farmland/rural ares, yet people drive through the lanes like they’re driving on a motorway. It’s very nerve racking. The best policy – in my opinion, and how I’ve been taught by my instructor – is anticipate anything, prepare for everything. Appropriately paced driving whilst being aware of potential hazards and passing points is the best policy. Thanks again for your really helpful videos 🙏
Living in Devon, during the summer there's loads of numberplates starting with L (registered in London) and while not guaranteed, often is a reflection of their reversing ability. Or desire to not scratch their very posh cars.
Ashley, your video fully resonates with me, although the lanes do seem quite 'wide' 😜. Living close to rural Hampshire, I frequently encounter such lanes, and drivers who do not seem to appreciate the world outside their own little box.
That said, having just a week ago returned from 10 days in south Devon/Dartmoor, there I did encounter truly narrow lanes; 7' wide was commonplace and no verges, just a 6' high stone wall. You certainly do need to have an awareness for the location of passing places and the need to reverse perhaps 500m or more now and again. The torrential rains of storm Babet just added to the situation. Most are courteous on such roads, but some of the locals did proceed with a degree of disregard due to familiarity.
A lot of people do not drive at a speed that they can stop in the distance they can see and for a single track road that should be halved. There is a country road on my commute that is a posted national speed limit so 60MPH for a car. At points you can only do 10-15MPH due to the bends. And you should defo not rely on headlights of other vehicles as there may be a horse, pedestrian or cyclist.
Thanks for this video Ashley, as a relatively new driver I'm always worried if I'm going 'too slow' on country roads, but better to be safe than sorry. Went on a trip to Cornwall recently and dealt with many roads like this – I was more confident when I realised that they're not all that different to driving on the narrow streets of the Bristol suburbs, just instead of parked cars either side of the road, it's bushes and trees.
Hi Ash just a little industry insight for your comment at 2:30… Trust me… No Sane HGV driver wants to go down roads with the sign Unsuitable for HGV's. Usually they are our worst nightmare and we don't gain any benefit with the impact they have on our stress levels, not helped when we also get abuse from some members of the public who assume we are just been plain stupid for going down them…
But the problem, is we are often forced to go down these roads more than you think mostly because we will have deliveries or collections that are on these narrow roads… Farms especially, they are many where these roads are their only access for 44 ton artics to deliver supplies and pick up their product for market.
Even on your travels in this recording. You have passed many large houses. All that heavy brick work would have had to have been delivered on a 18ton rigid lorry minimum… Assuming they have a weekly bin collection, with the number of houses… Again your looking at an 18 or 26 ton rigid going down these roads to serve those residents.
I live in the back end of nowhere so this has become second nature to me
Essex isn't bad – there are verges – try Carmarthenshire or Pembrokeshire – and for extra fun take a 26 ton truck….
these roads are just awful, not driven on roads like that before, this is a great video
If your speed is below average, pull over when convenient and give way to the pile up behind you.
Brilliant commentary on this one Ashley and I like your pace – I think I'd have felt very reassured as a passenger. I lived in rural Devon for eight years and still go back there to see my dad – the roads do take some adapting to compared with the more open type of roads in Bedfordshire. Having solid banks on the side of the road rather than a verge makes quite a difference! Next time I'm there I will think about this video and my speed. Many thanks as always.
Great advice. One other thing is that, if following someone else, don’t follow too closely or it can cause chaos if passing spots are only big enough for one car. That’s also good advice in built up areas but there are a lot of numptys who just follow blindly.
Plenty of these in rural Dorset, though not usually as narrow as those in parts of south Devon! One of my favourites is the narrow rat-run that winds its way south from Milborne St Andrew to Crossways via Affpuddle! Narrow most of the way, with several tight blind bends, but very picturesque for the passengers!
I'm guessing the homeowner put up those bollards which clearly doesn't help matters
Ashley, thank you for clarifying what you are doing when you look towards the onside mirror, that you are not looking at the camera but at the mirror.
When the local driver, better knowing the road, comes up behind you, let them pass, because they are blocking your chance to reverse.
as a city girl, much respect to you peeps who can drive thru single track roads easy peasy (they scare the shit out of me)
I'm a fairly new driver, been on the road since May 2022, and roads like this I find quite daunting
Often they have a national speed limit sign and so I feel pressure to go as fast as I can, particularly if there's someone tailing me from behind. This is a really useful video for me to take note of next time I'm on a country road – living in Yorkshire, there are plenty of them! Some are particularly nasty in very small towns. Fortunately I have a teeny tiny city car that can squeeze through most gaps so that's one less thing for me to worry about!
Nice driving Ash. I grew up driving in small roads in cheshire then Devon and now cycle a lot in the surrey and kent lanes. I was always taught to drive to a speed so that you can easily stop within the distance you can see. It may seem « slow » to an impatient person behind but tough…I dont want a head on collision.
Compared to the majority of Devon lanes those roads are wide and in very good condition, in summer before the hedges can be cut its not uncommon for both door mirrors to touch the hedges at the same time, they are normally the width of the biggest vehicle that regularly uses them. The wider road about 7 minutes in is fairly typical of main A class roads so 60mph is not normal, you do have to tuck in tight when you meet a 40tonne HGV coming the other way, but otherwise no need to slow to pass. In the summer it can be a nightmare with tourists often thinking the roads are one way or not having a clue how wide there car is or how to reverse (I have towed people out of ditches or off hedges when they try), some times it is quicker to reverse 200m and round corners than try and get someone else to reverse 5m. Every year campervans or caravans get wedged in and sometimes have to get dragged out in bits.
Im a bit late to the party here. I recently moved from Liverpool to Devon. I was a bit nervous riding my bike down these narrow country roads at first, but I've learned to love it. These kind of roads demand a much slower pace than what I'm used to up in the northwest, but I've quickly gotten used to it and learned to enjoy the slower pace of riding.
one thing I will add though is that car drivers should remember that most motorbikes can't reverse – something to bear in mind, especially if you're wanting to reverse with a motorbike behind you! keep an ear out for revving or beeping if you get to close, or reverse too fast for us. motorbikes can be heavier than they look.
I got stuck in a situation on a road like this a few weeks ago. One car caused a massive qué because they wouldn't move they had lots of room but they just wouldn't use it I'm guessing they didn't want to get too close to the bush I was at the front on my side and had a range rover next to me thankfully my cars paint isn't in the best of states anyway so I wasn't too bothered about driving into the bush as much as I did and managed to fix the situation even still I had to fold my mirrors in to just miss the range rover. I was more concerned about damaging my tyres so afterwards I made sure to get out and check them before continuing my journey. 🤣
It annoys me when you get people who just barrel through then expect you to drive your car into a ditch to let then passed. Even when they've just passed a passing place.
There are a lot of roads like this near me.
I live in Dorset and there are some very scary single track roads with blind bends. I go really slowly and beep my horn at the total blind bends. It certainly makes my heart go faster. When you meet someone coming the other way, they are invariably going way too fast for the roads, and/or tractors that move all over the place. Happy Christmas to you, I really enjoy your videos.
As a recovery driver I regularly have to navigate these kinds of roads however I’m in a 7.5tn hgv. It’s usually me however that has to squeeze myself into a passing place even though the oncoming vehicle would have to reverse 10ft into a perfectly suitable place. I also recover people from these roads after they have their arguments with trees, ditches, or other vehicles (usually due to speed) and have had my truck crashed into several times by people speeding round bends. Even with the obvious signs I leave like cones galore, fold out warning signs, amber flashing come toppers, and all my emergency lights on my truck. I’ve even been clipped by a few wing mirrors as people try to squeeze past me on foot and the verge instead of waiting for me to move myself and I’ll be honest it’s usually the expensive car drivers or the 4×4 drivers that are the worst for it