Smart Drive Podcast S02 E01

Ajouté : 2026-05-13

[00:00:06]Hello and welcome to the Smart Drive Podcast, where driving education meets real talk. My name is Simon Horton. I'm a driving enthusiast and EV enthusiast with a bit of advanced driving on the side. And today I am fully fit. Ashley.

[00:00:20]Um, yeah. My name's Ashley Neil and I'm a really old 51-year-old who has just done the London Marathon and can't walk properly. That's where I'm at this week.

[00:00:31]>> Oh, marathon. We've done a bit of jogging around the park. I thought that was >> Oh, I I wish it was jogging to be honest, mate. Um, but yeah, we did it.

[00:00:39]Uh, I got round. Um, fair bit of pride with it if I was honest, Simon. Um, >> deserved pride, I think.

[00:00:47]>> A man.

[00:00:49]>> Say again. I missed that. Sorry, mate.

[00:00:50]>> Said deserved pride, I would say.

[00:00:52]>> Oh, thank you. I wasn't even asking that second time. I honestly just didn't quite catch you there. Um, what was that? Did you say Simon?

[00:01:00]>> We're not doing it again.

[00:01:01]>> Sorry.

[00:01:02]>> No, I'm not doing it again. I It wasn't It wasn't meant the first time to be honest. Um yeah, very proud. I'm proud of um Liz. Liz helped me through it if I was honest. Simon, I had a a really sore I've still got really sore Achilles. Um sort of goes back to my my footballing days. I've got sort like I'm quite a big guy with tiny little wrists and ankles.

[00:01:26]And it was probably just a little bit too much at my age. Even with the length of time that we did training, probably didn't still build up my muscle power and bulk and stamina quite well enough.

[00:01:39]So I struggled from halfway from um Tower Bridge, which is about 13 miles.

[00:01:45]Um I really struggled. I took a walk for about six or seven miles, getting on for maybe an hour, hour and a half. um allowed myself to chill out. Still kept moving. We were walking at a decent pace and then uh we ran the last five miles or so in. So, it was um it was really pleasing to get it done, but I'm glad it's over. It's been a really really hard task over the last six or eight months, but um all for a good charity.

[00:02:15]I've said all along the way as well, Simon, it shouldn't have been easy. Um, people weren't going to put their hands in their pockets just to listen to me and you talk driving and the stuff that we talk about. So, I had to put a little bit of a challenge and it definitely was. But, um, we're done. Oh, brilliant.

[00:02:33]Brilliant. Um, yeah, I must admit I was I was guilty of tracking you on the on the app and seeing where things are going. And when I saw the times dipping towards the middle, I thought, "Come on, this is going to be tough, but you and then you powered through." And as the sort of the last last quarter picked up pace again, I was like, "Oh, you're brilliant. We've made it through." But I mean, let's be fair, mate.

[00:02:51]>> That's you did a six or seven mile brisk walk in the middle of a marathon. Most people would struggle to do a six or seven mile brisk walk.

[00:03:00]>> Yeah. Um, and to be honest, it's quite interesting. I wondered.

[00:03:05]Well, I obviously you get to the start line um and you can set your GPS to be tracked from about 30 minutes before and I didn't just want to put it out there.

[00:03:14]U but it's amazing how many people tracked us and knew exactly what I was doing. Um John, our drive like John, our superstar driver, John, um you know, he said he was a little bit worried at certain point, you know, I' I'd stopped and that was just a l break. Um but it was amaz I was amazed at how many people tracked us. So, thank you very much for keeping an eye on us as well, Simon.

[00:03:37]It's it's it's really really nice to show that or to hear that people cared so much about how we were getting on.

[00:03:44]Um, but Liz probably Well, not probably, Liz could have just ran it all the way through and at a decent pace. Um, but Liz has got that sort of like figure for running where I've got a figure for eating. We'll leave it there.

[00:03:58]>> Yeah. Yeah. Brilliant. Well, yeah, on behalf of everybody else and I'm sure you get this, but well done. And uh yeah, like you say, you've done it now and you can tick that box and uh and move on to the next thing. So great.

[00:04:09]>> Absolutely. How's your uh how's your life going, Simon? You got uh anything going on as uh as as dramatic as running a marathon or it's just back to the mundane stuff like I'm into again now?

[00:04:19]>> Yeah, very much mundane stuff. As I said, um before I'm a little bit between contracts at the minute, but I'm I'm keeping very busy. We were interviewing for some new roles, which I I love doing interviews for for candidates. It's uh you get that little in insight into an individual. You get to take them from probably a very nervous state, relax them into the interview so that you can find out what they actually want out of you and then give them the opportunity at the end to to ask as many questions as they want and and do justice to them.

[00:04:46]And I take a bit of pride in that. We get really good feedback on our interview process and and even when people don't get the roles, we've had people that have written in afterwards and said thank you for the way in which the process happened and the interviews were done and uh so I do take pride in that bit even though that's a little just you know side task for me in terms of work but uh yeah that's that's keeping me off the streets anyway.

[00:05:09]>> Good. There's a little link between what you've just talked about and something that we've never talked about as well and it's attitudes of um driving examiners primarily, but it it can be instructors as well.

[00:05:22]>> Over the years there's been oh too many to to count who have been absolutely brilliant putting pupils at ease. Um I remember one one examiner um I think he's probably passed now so I'm not going to mention his name. Um but I remember him telling a joke. It was quite close to mine. There's a big cemetery near mine and one of my students was driving down there and he said to them quite casually, "Do you know any people are dead in there?"

[00:05:49]People looked at him strange and he went, "All of them." Um, and he was that type of guy just to crack stupid bad jokes and just to put people at ease.

[00:06:00]But it makes such a difference to the pupil. But there are unfortunately quite a number of examiners um both for L tests and for driving or driving instructor test that attitude stinks. Um and it really puts the extra pressure on people and that's it's a shame. Um I just wonder whether any of our viewers and listeners have had similar experiences with examiners or have they generally been friendly. That would be something that I'd like people maybe to put down in the comment section if they can.

[00:06:32]>> Yeah. Yeah. That would be interesting. I mean, it's uh it's eons ago since, you know, I passed my driving test. Um, and I don't particularly remember the the driving examiner other than I said I think we talked about this before, the comical moment of him coming out with me and saying, "Which is your vehicle, sir?" I'm going, "The one down there where they're pumping the tire up." Um, you know, that was the that was the limit of my interaction with him that I can remember. But, um, yeah, I'd be interested to to see what the quality of things are. Putting people at ease though, particularly in an exam situation like that, you you want to find out the their abilities and and and understand where their strengths and weaknesses are, not how well they can operate under pressure of an exam.

[00:07:10]>> Um, >> you're right.

[00:07:11]>> I did one recently actually. Um, this is completely off off topic, but I recently got a new qualification in uh AI project management. on topic for you know recent stuff.

[00:07:23]>> Um but that was an exam at the end and I realized partway through the course that people around me were taking in the information much better than I was and I was getting concerned about the fact that it was an exam at the end and I'd not done exams for ages proper exams closed book in adjudicated type thing.

[00:07:42]Um >> so I I I knuckled down and I prepped for it as I used to do when I was uh you know going through the university system or something like that and >> uh as it transpires of the 40 people no can't be maybe 30 people that we've put through from their organization I'm joint top in scorers >> so I was like blown away though because I was kind of like good >> yeah I didn't really think I got that level of understanding of the topic compared to people around me I thought is this the point in my life where I now start to struggle to learn things. Uh, is the gray matter slowing down a little bit? But as as it turned out, no, I'm all right.

[00:08:21]>> Obviously not. Obviously not. Just just on that point as well, something driving related with that if I'm okay just to talk about it, Simon.

[00:08:28]>> Well, something about driving on a driving podcast.

[00:08:30]>> Something about driving. Yeah. Um, but it sort of ties in with what you've just said and what we were talking about earlier with the marathon. I'm not going to harp on about that cuz it's done. But I felt much much sharper in my mind again and quicker thought since I've been exercising.

[00:08:50]>> Interesting.

[00:08:52]>> That is something Well, there's a saying, isn't there? Healthy body, healthy mind. Um, I just wonder whether again that could be something maybe we delve into with our viewers. If anyone's got any comments or or any questions about that or any information, how they find um I suppose the classic is driving when tired and driving when drunk or under the influence.

[00:09:18]>> That's sort of like the opposite thing, but it's I've I've felt much much livelier and sharper throughout my days since I've been exercising. So, you know, that's something that's obviously um high in my uh sort of like list of of priorities and and road safety. Have you found that at all, Simon, that you know, as we get older, it's harder to keep fit? And then do you think that maybe affects our concentration and certain things while we are driving?

[00:09:46]>> I'm not the one best place to talk about keeping fit because it's not it's not something I've ever really um challenged myself with. To my shame, to be honest.

[00:09:54]But I tell you what I do relate to um the the when you're doing a long distance drive um and I used to do quite a lot when I was on my own and and going out and touring around the country. The difference between stopping when you're getting tired and having a nap versus stopping when you're bit tired and going for a short walk is significant. You feel more invigorated and rejuvenated by taking the walk and the fresh air than you do from taking a nap. I do anyway.

[00:10:26]>> That's an interesting point. That's what I used to do. I always used to find, you know, a couple of key service stations where you could get out and have a walk around rather than just strolling up and down a boring car.

[00:10:37]>> Yeah. And that's probably where we benefit from having our doggies because when we're out on the roads, we've generally got our dogs with us. Well, um, if you're probably going out with Cara and you're going out with Athos, um, that will probably be a go-to that you're going to stop off and you're going to often take AOS for a 10 15 minute walk around to to do what he needs to do.

[00:10:58]>> Um, and we've we found that as well.

[00:11:01]>> Interesting. Interesting.

[00:11:04]>> So, um, so yeah, that's that's kind of where we're at really. Um, in other words, other things keeping me a bit busy. Uh, did a bit of model railing with the father lin on Saturday. Uh, so I've got him going now with his end gauge layout. So I've he's on his own now. He's he's got a plan. He's got uh uh the materials to get going. So we'll see what he does with that. So that's quite interesting to to do a little bit of that. Um, but that's that could turn into a very expensive hobby. I hope doesn't go mad.

[00:11:34]>> Absolutely. If you do things properly, it does tend to end up quite expensive.

[00:11:38]Absolutely.

[00:11:39]>> Um I've had a couple of little problems fitting or getting my dual controls fitted in the Volvo. They're still not in.

[00:11:46]>> Um it's dragging on as well. I tried to get a specialist over in Leeds to go and have a little look at it uh probably a couple of weeks back. Um wouldn't touch it. Um, I've got in touch with He-Man down in Southampton, the main, uh, manufacturer of dual controls in the UK.

[00:12:06]They said that they were going to get one of their design team to get back in touch and they haven't. So, um, at the moment I'm in limbo and may very well have a car that I can't get dual controls stuck in. I'm sure I will, but I'm still having issues with it, Simon.

[00:12:19]I just haven't had the time over the last few weeks to then go, "Right, this needs sorting." Um, but it is still on.

[00:12:29]Um the I got told um can't remember whether we've discussed this already. Um if I have, please just remind me. Um but yeah, there's uh when I purchased the car, uh Volvo said that it's no problem fitting jewels. There's nothing behind the passenger footwell. And there is.

[00:12:46]There's an ECU, right?

[00:12:48]>> Um it's got a it's got a plastic mounting plate over the top that wouldn't be sufficient enough to mount a set of dual controls to. Apparently the there's mounting places over the top of the ECU where the the dual controls could go over, but they're unsure about underneath cuz it's going to be full of electrics, brake lines, uh, hydraulics, and all the pipes. I think it just needs sticking up on a ramp, taking the under trays off, and really having a look at where it can be situated. I'm sure there's someone who's going to be able to do it, but like I said, I haven't just got that far >> at the moment. I've got no learners. Um, so it's it's still usable. I'm still working. I'm still doing the normal stuff. Uh, a majority of my stuff is done, conducted um in other people's car. I just meet up with them, do the train in their car, and just use mine to f me to and fro at the minute. So, it's not so bad, but it is still a problem I haven't got sorted. M sounds like a solvable problem, but yeah, you're right. It's going to be time.

[00:13:50]>> So, some Yeah. Um, obviously there's there's many people who are driving instructors who watching and listening as well, Simon. So, um, I wonder whether there's anyone um about who has had a similar sort of problem. Maybe they've had to get customized dual controls from He-Man or whether there's uh any easy solution that they found. Did they just take it to a garage and let the garage have a look? I haven't even tried that yet, but if anyone can give us a little bit of advice, that would be much appreciated.

[00:14:20]>> Yeah. Nice. Um, randomly on our list of topics, I got dual controls written down, but I don't think it was to do with that. I think there was a a question bubbling around in my mind about how dual controls work with EVs and regenerative braking, but I honestly can't remember what the full gist of my topic was. So, we'll we'll call that one.

[00:14:42]>> Yeah. Um, I think did we I think we sort of glossed over I think we mentioned it on one. Um, I don't know. Again, uh, it would be interesting. I know there's a few people teaching out there in Tesla Model 3s. I know there is. Uh, there was a a lad in Mercy side who had one. Um, I think there was one of my viewers, was it Bob? Um, not Smiler Bob. Um, but another another guy who who used to tune in or tunes in called Bob. I'm sure he had a a Model 3. Be really interesting if someone could get in touch and and fill us in a little bit of information cuz it is um it's a big part or it's going to be a big part of driving going forward for everyone with the one pedal driving. Just wonder how it would work with the the dual controls.

[00:15:31]>> Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Um, on the one pedal driving thing, um, I've been doing a little bit of research because there's I think it was a topic in one of the Q6 forums that I was reading where because the people a lot of people coming to the Audi Q6 who've been in Teslas or something else like that. So, they've been used to that one pedal driving feel. Um, and the Audi doesn't do that by default. Um it's uh it's more well it was help designed in collaboration with Porsche who are very much in the coast rather than regen break as the default.

[00:16:06]Um so a lot of people saying is is that not less efficient? Um no spoilers but what do you think is the most efficient?

[00:16:16]Do you think it's more efficient to drive in a one pedal driving style?

[00:16:20]Which for for anybody that's not experienced, it means that you're basically not using the brake pedal.

[00:16:25]your accelerator pedal becomes accelerator and re full regenerative braking so you just use that to control your speed even down to a stop or in as the Q6 is is set up do you think it's more efficient to have it coast where it has no regen braking unless you apply the brake pedal in which case then it will use as much as it can >> quick answer coast I would go with that all the way through um my thinking is um I can use that where it would then lessen my use of the accelerator or power going forward. And that's effectively would be my thought on how it works.

[00:17:08]Please fill me in. Tell me if I'm wrong or tell me if I'm nearer the point.

[00:17:12]Where am I at with it, Simon?

[00:17:14]>> You are correct, but with a caveat.

[00:17:18]>> So, okay. Interesting. So, it actually turns out that on sort of highway driving or anything that's at speed, um the ability to coast when you lift off is much more efficient than having than using regen braking because you would normally just fluctuate between the two.

[00:17:35]And it's the laws of physics. You don't get out what you put in. So, regen braking at best is probably only recuperating 60% of the energy that you've put in.

[00:17:45]>> So, you've lost some. So, you may as well not lose any and just uh coast along until you actually want to do that. So, it's a physics question. The caveat is at low speeds in city driving where you're doing a lot of stop starting >> because as good as regen braking is under normal circumstances, it won't bring you to a stop unless you're in one pedal mode and it and therefore you are using the friction brakes for that last little bit. So, you're better off putting it in one pedal mode and coming to an absolute stop >> using um using regen braking. So, that's the that's the caveat with it. So, for anybody that's got the option, um try and use less regen braking when you're on the highway. And then if you go into city driving, by all means, put it in one pedal mode or B mode or whatever the manufacturer has chosen to call it this week, then go from there.

[00:18:35]>> There you go.

[00:18:36]>> Uh excellent. Was your Was it was your Sorry, I drive that many cars, Simon. It was your Q6 that tweaks and changes depending on what it sees or was that your Kia?

[00:18:48]>> Uh, they both did it, but yeah, the Q6.

[00:18:50]>> They both did it.

[00:18:50]>> Yeah, the Q6 is more advanced. Um, so that's using it's using the radar on the front, so it will regen and apply more regen. If you're coming up behind somebody, it's also using the satnav. So if you are coming up to a junction where it's telling you to turn, it will give you more regen to bring the speed down that way. Similarly, it will give you more regen coming up to changes of speed limits.

[00:19:12]>> So a lot of the time, uh, if you're barreling along at 60 mph and you're coming to a 30 zone, when you lift off, it will give you the right amount of regen to just arrived at the 30 at 30ish. So >> that's pretty good. that um that BMW i5 M60 that I borrowed the estate that was very good in that in that manner and that um purpose as well. It was really clever in how it used it. Um because I drove that for quite a while over a period of period of a number few days.

[00:19:42]Um I really appreciated the technology behind that as well. Um things have really moved on in that manner and it's it does help. Um, does it does it dilute our skills still even further though, Simon? Are we going to get to a point where um people are going to struggle just in sort of like the the bog standard basic things? Um, not sure.

[00:20:05]>> Well, yeah. I mean, the the skills move with the vehicles, don't they? So, this is coming back to whatever you're learning. That's where your skill level comes from. So this comes down, you know, do do we still want people to learn in manual so they learn how to do the car control with clutch and gear stick >> or is that now becoming a bit of a historical thing and and move away from that? I was thinking about this the other day. So what is the what is the skills that we no longer use? Now we touched on this very briefly when I was driving your focus.

[00:20:37]>> Um because there was one downhill section where I did a heel and toe.

[00:20:42]>> Yep. until down change. And we sort of touched on it very briefly, but for for me that was intuitive to do that even though I had driven a manual for such a long time because I grew up >> driving manuals where >> you did get a more smoother experience and you did get a better driving experience if you were rev matching yourself rather than the ECU doing it.

[00:21:05]Um, and that was all it was about. Um, do for anybody that doesn't know, do you want to describe heel and toe?

[00:21:12]>> Um, >> just want to have a drink.

[00:21:14]>> Of course. Um, when you're slowing down, uh, using the brake pedal, uh, as soon as you go for the clutch pedal, your engine revs effectively drop to idle. But the next gear that you wish to use, the engine speed will be higher than that. So, effectively what you got to do is use uh a little bit of brake and generally um you have a little blip, a little twist of your ankle across just to get the revs back up to match the following gear. I hope I've explained that pretty well. What do you think, Simon? Did that sort of work? Okay.

[00:21:50]>> Yeah, it makes sense to me. Um, and that's and that's the reason they call it heel and toe because you tend to move your foot around a little bit on the brake toward more towards your heel and use your toe or the side of your foot just to to apply a bit of throttle. Um, >> excuse me a second. I've just made a hand gesture and I've put my uh my camera on to tracking. I'm just going to turn that off a second just because it will be moving around with me. No, it stopped moving. Apologies. It's one of those clever ones that you do something with your hands and then it goes into a different mode. So, apologies for that for a second. Sorry for the interruption.

[00:22:23]>> When you said I've just done a hand gesture, I thought, what what what have I missed?

[00:22:29]>> Um, yeah.

[00:22:29]>> The other thing I was thinking, >> go on.

[00:22:31]>> Um, so we talked about heel and toe. Um, double declutching.

[00:22:36]>> I don't know if you've ever had a car or a vehicle where you've had to do double declutching.

[00:22:41]>> Nope. Um, it goes back to Yeah, it goes back to Doesn't it go back to the pre-synchromesh gearboxes?

[00:22:49]um where I'm not uh mechanically minded enough to actually explain what a synchro mesh gearbox is. Couldn't tell you. I just know the explanation of We used to do it before the synchro mesh gearboxes. Never had to do it in any car I've ever driven. Simon, >> have you?

[00:23:07]>> Yes. Yeah, absolutely. I used to have an old Land Rover. Um >> Oh, okay. So yeah, that was almost a necessity in some cases to to get it to go smoothly up through the rocks or certainly coming down. Um, but that's another one that all that's doing is is matching. So where we'll talk about heel and toe matching revs, excuse me. Um, a double declutching is in between your gear change. If you're going from second to third, as you come out of second into the neutral position, you lift the clutch up, give it some revs, and that matches the gear that you're going into.

[00:23:42]So that the gears mesh together correctly at the correct speeds.

[00:23:45]>> Yeah.

[00:23:45]>> And that's where the synchro mesh did away from that. Yeah. Because it had helical gears and they actually join together regardless of the speed. So they will slip in together.

[00:23:54]>> Um there you go. You learn something new every day. Superb. Thank you, Simon.

[00:23:59]>> Yeah, it used to it used to be quite common. And so when I passed my test, 1989. So my mom's M1 Fiesta >> was one of those ones where it had synchro mesh but not on first gear.

[00:24:14]>> So if you were going into first, you were either double declutting, which probably not necessary, or you were coming to a complete stop. Uh you couldn't get it in first gear unless unless you were doing that. So >> right people people will be looking at us or listening to us and thinking what are these two going on about >> dinosaurs.

[00:24:35]>> But the other the thing is that >> you know you know these are the sort of skills that are are no longer required.

[00:24:40]Are they >> is that a bad thing? I'm not sure it is a bad thing but they are no longer required.

[00:24:46]>> No that's right. Um should we talk about chokes while we're on there as well Simon?

[00:24:51]>> Yeah >> the manual the manual chokes. remember them as well. Um, and I'm sure the majority of our listeners and viewers know what the manual choke is about, but I'm sure there's some people out there who who don't. Um, and effectively it was just a a little lever. Uh, well, a little pull really, wasn't it, Simon?

[00:25:10]They used to pull out pull out the dashboard just to increase the fuel into the engine prior to starting and help the car warm up. But we've got these these startup sequences in most modern cars, not in electric cars, but um in in most uh internal combustion engine cars where nowadays they go through a little warm-up cycle prior to you should um moving or you should wait for the warm-up cycle to finish before you move off. And >> um it was it was I always remember my mom pulling I think think was it was it a Mark 1 Fiesta? Don't know. Did my mom have a Mark 1 Fiesta? I think one with a with a choke on it. That's the last one I remember. Don't know. Few years ago that time.

[00:25:55]>> Yeah. I had to go through a very u particular sequence in our Westfield. So that was uh 3 and a half liter V8 from a Rover SD1, but not with SU carbs on it.

[00:26:06]They'd all been taken off and it was an Edel Brock Performer um quad down draft carburetor.

[00:26:15]And >> uh the the startup procedure for that was probably half the choke that you would expect, >> a couple of decent prods on the accelerator to give it some prefuel into the into the the throttle bodies themselves. Um and then you could give it a crank and give it a tickle and a prey and most of the time it would start. That was that was the cold start process for the Westfield.

[00:26:38]>> Yeah, you did. in in the older cars that we probably grew up with, you sort of like they had their own personalities that you had to learn >> to get them to start. Would you say that's the case with some of your old cars as well, Simon?

[00:26:50]>> Oh, definitely. Yeah, there was there was always a there was always a trick to to doing something.

[00:26:56]>> Trick.

[00:26:56]>> Yeah.

[00:26:57]>> Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. They they were the good old days. Not like getting in them nowadays and it's already nice and warm and defrosted because you've set it from your app. Yeah. We've come on a fair bit, haven't we, from our day, Simon? Yeah. Yeah. Um, but luckily you can't do stupid things uh with the new cars. Like I mean my Aud turns off if I get out of the driver's seat. So, you know, it literally shuts off. Um, but I did manage to crash my Land Rover once when I wasn't even in it.

[00:27:26]>> Please explain.

[00:27:30]>> I I will explain. It's one of the It's one of those stories you look at and go, "Why Why the hell did I do that?" Um, I was on an old railway line and me being a photographer wanted to take a uh photograph of my Land Rover while it was moving just because why not. So, with such a short first gear, you were able to um put it in gear, set off, get out of the car, and it would trundle along at, you know, one or two miles an hour in first gear uh until something got in its way.

[00:28:05]Um, so it was doing that down the old railroad line and I was getting me photographs and I was, "Oh, this is really good." And then it went through a puddle and one of the front wheels must have hit a a brick or a rock in the puddle which turned the steering um, a few degrees off and it then decided it was then going off to the side of the railway line and into the hedge at the side of the railway line. and I couldn't get in it because the passenger door was locked cuz I'm an idiot. Uh, and the canvas back was all fastened down. So, I had to stand and wait for it to come to a stop when nature took its course and a sizable tree stopped it. Came to no damage, reversed it back out. Happy as Larry. Oh, >> good.

[00:28:51]>> But yeah, Shaglin, >> that's a that that is a story just on something that's just popped into my mind. that's been in the news over the last week or so. It's quite a serious one this as well. Um an ex footballer, a goalkeeper, um Alex Manninger, um Arsenal goalkeeper. He was at Liverpool for a little bit as well. He lost his life um in a car accident and it wasn't I don't think it was released a lot in the press. They didn't make a big deal of it. I would not like to make a big deal, but I would like to just um let people know that I think he died on a level crossing going across and I think his car was struck by a train. I don't know the details for certain. It's not been something I've told. I think I read it somewhere. Um but I'd just like to again just warn people of driving across level crossings when they shouldn't do. Um it's absolutely lethal. Um, and no one's ever going to come out in a fight. No one's ever going to come out well winning or trying to win a fight with a train. So, um, it's quite a serious somber point, but I think it's an important one, Simon.

[00:30:02]>> Yeah. And thankfully, the the there is a distinct reduction in those number of those instances as they they roll out the fully automated systems across all of them. Um but even as recent as a you know a couple of years ago on the east coast mainline um there was some places I had to go to where you were crossing with manual um manual crossings you know phone the signalman type thing for permission to cross and uh and you think oh hang this is the east coast mainline you know you've got >> 14 coaches traveling at 125 miles an hour and I'm having to rely on a phone call to see if I've got permission to cross. I think that's uh yes >> quite scary sometimes.

[00:30:44]>> It's uh but the thing is I would say um a majority of people wouldn't have been in that situation and I can honestly say Simon I've never had to do that. I've never had to call someone up to ask permission. That is something that I'm going to go and find um and going to go and cover for certain because that's an important one as well. I'm glad you brought that up.

[00:31:08]>> Yeah. Yeah. We'll have to go and find some old railway level crossings somewhere. Um, that doesn't mean the new ones are are infallible. The my parents live right next to a level crossing on one of the main lines out of crew uh that has recently been converted to fully automatic and it fails regularly >> all the time.

[00:31:27]>> Now, thankfully it fails to a safe mode.

[00:31:29]It always fails to closed um so vehicles cannot cross um and fails to a red signal so the train doesn't cross. But um yeah, there there's regular failures. But anyway, that's technology.

[00:31:42]>> Technology.

[00:31:43]>> Y let's move on um from that that sad story about the uh the footballer. Um condolences to you know anyone um connected to his his family circle and obviously friends as well. Sad news.

[00:31:57]>> Sad news. But in other news, um I did see something a bit more positive on the matter of road safety, which I just wanted to talk about. Um it was a really random news article that the BBC ran, uh BBC Yorkshire specifically ran about a campaign in Bradford safer roads and how significant the uptake had been of people wanting to go on a course for safer driving. That was the gist of the headline. So I thought, oh that'll be something interesting to talk about. Um it's not as um it's not as exciting as they made out in the headline, but actually they are doing these courses. So there's free to attend. Anybody whether they're pedestrian, cyclist or driver or non-driver can attend. And it's a 90minute presentation and uh education piece that the the local council and West Yorkshire Police are doing in collaboration with the DVSA to say uh this is what uh safer driving looks like and this is what we're doing to help support that. Um and they they were claiming good uptake. Um it's still only going to be >> a few hundred people that have attended the course over the year dropping the ocean compared to everybody. But I thought that was quite an interesting one that that's one of the things that they were offering.

[00:33:16]>> They're trying to do.

[00:33:17]>> Yeah, >> it is good. I suppose it's like I see loads of comments on the videos that I put out on my channel that unfortunately the main people who need the information that's contained on my channel are the people who won't be watching it. I suppose that's probably something that could be aimed at that strategy of road safety for me that that people who are concerned about road safety um will probably be reasonable road users in the first place the people who are going to attend and the ones who really need it will go no I'm not doing that >> and that's that's where the problem lies and how do we change that um not sure I'm not sure not sure what the answer is >> I was very skeptical of the numbers but I was thinking again the demographic of people that are going on those courses are probably not the ones that wanted to do it, but >> may maybe there's some some light in that in things.

[00:34:12]>> Yeah.

[00:34:12]>> Um >> yeah, I had um I had a little interview with the BBC last week as well. Um a journalist got in touch and uh they were doing a piece on social media um driving content and my thoughts on it.

[00:34:30]So, I'm not going to let people into uh all my answers. I'm going to wait for it to come out. But it was an interesting one. They had a few people to interview.

[00:34:39]I think um Cycling Mikey was getting interviewed as well. So, uh, there it's good that they were seeing it from all perspectives, but they were they were effectively talking about, um, how many people nowadays, driving instructors included, just seem to jump on the bandwagon, get on YouTube, get on TikTok, and just go driving stuff, driving stuff, and it's it's some pretty big numbers that get views from it to be fair. So, um, is that a good or a bad thing, do you think, Simon? I know you don't mind my stuff, but um how do you see social media driving channels and driving uh driving clips? Do you think they're positive?

[00:35:22]>> Um I think there's a real mixed bag.

[00:35:25]>> I think there is. Um, there's a certainly a type of people that are just looking for the clicks and have realized that this a good audience and and and maybe those clicks will turn into revenue for their businesses and that's why they're doing it. Um, >> and then and there are the the the people that are out there genuinely trying to get a good message across. Um but then you know they sit even that still sits in somewhere in the middle of the the dash cam channels just showing incidences versus uh you know the kind of thing that you're pointing out. So there's a real mix of stuff and you and even when you're coming to the end of watching one of your videos and you see what the algorithm is recommending there's the it's still not you know it's not recommending all the good stuff.

[00:36:10]might be recommending dash cam clips or some pure stuff like that.

[00:36:14]>> That's actually one thing that it's crossed my mind many times on why my drive and fail compilations are so so important. I know I think everyone likes the nice driving stuff that I do and so do I. They're my it's my favorite series without question showing other people good examples and how it should be done. But the driving fails works in exactly the same way as you've said about you're going to be getting recommended the dash cam channels which aren't brilliant, but do you think the people who watch those dash cam channels might get recommended an Ashley video and maybe tune into that as well?

[00:36:56]>> Yeah. And it's a it's a kind of it's a gateway drug then, isn't it? is kind of getting into oh actually this is about uh that incident that crash or maybe seen somewhere else and and now I've got an understanding of how it might happen or whether the you know where they could have been better or think so that really that it's a good way for people to to make the leap really from just watching >> uh car crash TV >> it is um and it is I probably I have that so it's not by design it's just happened like like that Simon I'm not intelligent enough to put that together and go, you know what? Um, I'm I'm going to do this purposefully, but I am switched on enough to realize that there's a possible link and I can maybe drag a few people from the dark side over to the correct side of the force.

[00:37:43]>> Mhm. Yeah. Keep up the good work, love.

[00:37:46]>> I will try, Simon. I've got a little bit more time now because I'm not do I can't remember what I was doing last weekend, but this weekend just gone. I don't know. I've got a bit more time on my hands now. Anyway, fab. Um, one of the things that we've been trying to do and still failed to do is uh look at rear view camera um cameras instead of mirrors and and that and the like. There's um an interesting point that came out a couple of weeks back though. Uh actually I think it's may even affect my car um if it had been fitted with this. But the that model, some of the Audi or Volkswagen Audi group cars in America have had a recall uh because some of their camera systems, the cabling hasn't got enough shielding and it can get interference from external external sources um and cause a lockup in the image because it's part of the safety system.

[00:38:50]It's been had to be done as a recall.

[00:38:54]Well, yeah. Yeah, it makes sense. Yeah.

[00:38:57]>> As opposed to, oh, it's just a bit of a niggle that you'll have to put up with and we'll get round to fixing it maybe.

[00:39:02]Um, >> in the interesting thing is the fix is not a new cable. The fix is a bit of software which is a bit like the uh speed camera recognition software fix I told you about last time on my car is they're now introducing a software thing whereas if it sees any uh still data, it resets. uh so that it it's then will carry on working and that's been enough to answer the question from a safety perspective that it's it's good to scratch but that's been a forced recall.

[00:39:32]It's not come over here yet and there's the propensity of those cars with uh cameras for mirrors and and the like is much lower over here just because of the uptake and the offering. But it's likely to to arrive at this point. But I don't know whether it will be a recall or whether it will just be a safety notification or just a we'll fix it when we can because the regulations are different clearly.

[00:39:57]>> Yeah. Um but there I thought that was quite an interesting one that they deemed it a safety recall.

[00:40:04]>> Yeah. That that lorry is still 100 yards away from me.

[00:40:08]>> Here comes a red light. Yes, I'm fine to break really heavy. Oops. Um it's a serious one. is a serious one. Uh it's an interesting one though. I'll try and really push that. Um like you said, I've got a little bit more time on my hands.

[00:40:22]Um so I'll really try and get somewhere with that over the next little bit. Um yeah, I can probably now focus a little bit more. I wouldn't say um I've put YouTube to the side. I haven't. And you know, I always try and come up with relevant uh interesting topics, but I think it's probably time to start doing a little bit bigger things now and and delving in a little bit deeper again.

[00:40:48]So, uh keep tuned everyone, please do.

[00:40:51]>> Yeah, absolutely. Um so, that's this has got me got me thinking a little bit. um how in the future are we going to ensure that those safety systems are up to scratch?

[00:41:08]Um so I was looking at the cuz that's the obvious place. That's that's the b that's the place where we test our vehicles out. Um but not a lot has changed on theotes in the last 30 years.

[00:41:22]We've had emissions that have come in.

[00:41:23]We've had automated updating to uh the the central database rather than doing it manually, but that's all been about the test itself rather than what they're actually testing.

[00:41:34]>> Um it's still very much I think the only real advancement is uh we we now recognize if there's warning lights on the dashboard and you have to do something about that.

[00:41:43]>> Um not there's not an awful lot has changed.

[00:41:46]>> That's going to have to change. is going to have to catch up with a lot of these electronic safety systems because as we've just discussed they could end up being unsafe rather than safety features if they're not >> up to standard.

[00:42:02]>> Absolutely. Uh do you think the manufacturers listen to their customers regarding feedback enough in the uh driving industry or the car manufacturing industry? Simon, I personally don't think there's enough. I think they tend to wait for something to go drastically wrong. Shut the gate after the horse is bolted type of thing before they then actually go off and do stuff. I think it would be nice >> um not in a complaining way, but just a feedback. Here's your car. Please, any feedback on this, any feedback on that, please let us know. We're always trying to improve. you know, if um if manufacturers took that standpoint for me, I'd be really impressed and I'd be tempted to go back to them time and time again if they took that standpoint. But have you ever had that type of thing with any of the vehicles that you've purchased, Simon?

[00:42:56]>> Well, in terms of manufacturer feedback, >> yeah, and saying, "What could we do with this car to improve it in your opinion?"

[00:43:05]>> No, I don't. It's It's a closed loop. um it's a very expensive game making vehicles and and the the margins are not very good. So anytime that you make a change that was unnecessary u it's it's lost. So you you have to listen to the it's more about legislative changes rather than feedback from customers I would say. Um, >> but but the thing is it it cost them so much. Sorry to butt in there, but the the the big one for me recently, I think it's is it the Volkswagen group that they've been putting two electric window switches in and then a further switch to then use those two switches for the back ones.

[00:43:47]>> Yeah.

[00:43:49]>> And straight from me off when it first started, everyone was going, "What are you doing?" Even the the heater controls. Um, a lot of manufacturers are going back to proper buttons now and volume controls. Everyone wants a prop proper button for certain things. Now, if they just taken a little bit of that feedback for a little bit, I'm sure we wouldn't be probably six or eight years, maybe 10 years further down the line before they finally listened to us. Um, >> yeah, it's true. So, it's taken a long time for them to get that get the message. Um, >> and and again the the legislative side of things is it'd be interesting if they actually logged how many people get in the car and turn off lane keeper safet and turn off the speed limit warning.

[00:44:32]All of those things that have been introduced that we find not just annoying, they're actually getting in the way of safer driving in some respects.

[00:44:41]>> Um, they are.

[00:44:42]>> So yeah. Um, >> but it is that balance. Um, and we're expecting, I think, Simon, everyone to be operating a vehicle like you and I would. Um, we don't need lane keep assist because we pay attention and we know how to position our vehicle. Um, we don't need the speed limit warnings because we're aware of the speed that we're traveling at and we're aware of speed limits. So, we could turn them off just like that and then it wouldn't make a difference. But then the person on the motorway and I'm looking at this from the other side of the coin from maybe the manufacturers and the safety s standpoint as well that that person on the motorway texting one hand on the wheel not paying attention drifts off that system has suddenly saved a catastrophic incident. So there's always a balance to it isn't there?

[00:45:33]>> Yeah. Yeah. Some of them are annoying and some of them are very good. Um, >> if I go into the menu on the Audi of the the number of things that you could turn off or or even assign shortcuts to turn off. Um, so speed limit warning is one of them, but equally I could turn off the rear collision warning.

[00:45:53]I sent you a clip the other day of where I experienced the rear collision warning going off on the Audi, but thankfully it wasn't at motorway. I >> haven't seen it yet.

[00:46:02]>> I'm sorry. I haven't even looked at it.

[00:46:04]It is on my unread emails. I haven't done it yet.

[00:46:06]>> Right. Um thankfully it wasn't at motorway speeds >> and it didn't result in any sort of collision and but it was interesting to see that that feature rather unintuitive not unintrusively rather um just kicked in and went all right so that's that's what that feels like and that's what that sounds like and experience that.

[00:46:26]>> Yeah.

[00:46:26]>> Um >> and I'm grateful for it.

[00:46:30]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I'm less grateful for it when I'm trying to reverse into a parking space at the local motorway services where there's a slip road behind me and it won't let me because it keeps thinking I've got cross traffic is going to crash into me.

[00:46:43]>> Yeah, you the same. Yeah.

[00:46:48]>> Uh my Volvo does the same. Um I was reversing up the path the other day uh with the dogs in and it just jumped on the brakes. That was nowhere near anything. The poor dogs went.

[00:47:00]Uh anyway, um but I suppose I I think that's really the summary then that we you know those systems are needed for the silly people, the stupid people. Well, not stupid, the poor drivers, the poor road users. And it's those people who are more likely to have the collisions. So I suppose the effectiveness of these systems has to be beneficial.

[00:47:25]>> Yeah.

[00:47:26]>> Yeah.

[00:47:27]>> I suppose so. Um, but I don't like them.

[00:47:31]Um, I must admit it's quite easy in a Volvo to turn those two horrible things off, the speed limit warning and the lane keep assist. Um, generally don't take the lane keep assist off um or turn it off. I found it to be quite quiet in the background. There's a little force feedback with the steering wheel, but not much. You can quite easily just push it through it. It's not It's not as sort of like interfering as I've had with other vehicles.

[00:48:02]>> I was going to say, is that not the way that things have advanced? Cuz you that used to be the first button you pressed in the Golf, wasn't it? Turn that off.

[00:48:09]>> Yep.

[00:48:10]>> Yeah, >> without question. And in the end, I coded that out. So, it wasn't on when I restarted the car. That would be a nice feature in all cars as well. that you choose its settings and when the car turns off, it goes back to those same settings. I wish manufacturers would do that. I wish there was an option for that in all cars because we tend to drive in those same settings most of the time and then it's a faf when you get in the car to change all these things. Um, yes, I understand that people are, you know, they've got to be encouraged to use a lane keep assist and speed warnings for the safety side of things, but I think that should maybe be a little option. I don't I can't see it happening because it takes away from what we've just talked about about the silly people who need those systems. Uh, >> yeah, and it's actually deeper than that. It's in the homologation from a safety point of view. So, that vehicle is homologated to have those features enabled. Um and in turning it off yourself, you're making a conscious decision to turn it off. Therefore, um the the manufacturer is uh no longer obligated to to honor that from a safety perspective. Um it's actually even the same things with driving modes like the dynamic and the economy and normal modes, the the efficiency ratings of the vehicles and the CO2 ratings will have been measured in whichever mode you turn it on in. That's the one that they they've um they've registered it as. I quite often get asked that question in the EV forums as to why can't I have it all in eco mode all the time? Because I want to drive eco. Well, that's because it was not registered like that. It was tested in normal mode. So, it has to be in normal mode when you test when you turn it on for the first time.

[00:49:59]>> I still don't think it should be cuz it's absolutely irrelevant what it was tested in. It's what we operate it in.

[00:50:06]And why do we need to press a button?

[00:50:09]For example, I made a conscious decision. I know you just said about conscious decision to turn it off all the time. I get it. I understand where you're coming from totally, Simon. But in my golf, I made a conscious decision to stick in an OBD dongle and turn it off all the time. Um, why can't I do that? Is that then uh it should there be sort of like a time limit to the next time you drive the car? because I was quite happily making that decision quite early on to then say in the future I know it's done and I know it's, you know, always going to revert back to the settings that I would like to drive it in.

[00:50:47]Can't that still be a thing? I don't know. It's an interesting little question someone with a little bit more legal uh knowledge than me could probably answer. Could you answer that, Simon? Or is that is a little complicated one? I >> I think it's Is it complicated? Um, all right. Let's let's let's reflect the question back at you. When you disposed of the Golf, did you change it back?

[00:51:11]>> No.

[00:51:12]>> So, the next person who owns that vehicle thinks that it is uh has got lane keep assist. It hasn't unless they turn it on.

[00:51:22]>> Volkswagen will reset it though. They'll just totally redo everything. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I I get where you're coming from and that's a good valid point.

[00:51:34]Absolutely.

[00:51:35]>> But as long as I'm owning it, it suppose it's okay. But then if it >> even if you lend a car to someone else, they don't know you've made that decision unless you tell them >> and then it reverts back to Ashley's settings and that person relies on lane keep assist because they prefer to do all their texting whilst they're driving. But this this all stems from the same question and apologies this may turn into a longer conversation we come back to but one of the things that I really reflect on is the right to repair and the right to do things like that.

[00:52:06]So, changing the setting is fine, but um more and more we're finding that manufacturers are producing vehicles where it's harder and harder for you as the owner, consumer of that vehicle to be able to work on it yourself and repair it yourself or even change a flipping bulb yourself.

[00:52:24]>> Yeah. Um I remember the first car I had, was it the Merc? Must have been the Merc, a 2011 Merc where I had a a problem with one of the headlights and I got the instruction manual out and it said see dealer.

[00:52:40]There wasn't there was no instruction on how to change a headlight bulb in that car. You had to take it to a dealer to get it changed. And that's and that's just been propagating throughout the industry. And it and it really frustrates me that that's the case now that even the slightest little thing um you haven't got the right to repair because they they've made that obsolete.

[00:53:00]And it's not I suppose at some point it was probably a bit of a money-making thing for the dealers to to say right you must come and do it here. But um I don't think it is. I think it's just making it easier to manufacture.

[00:53:16]they don't have to build in the ability to repair it yourself or work on it yourself.

[00:53:20]>> True. That's a point that I consciously thought about. Um but yeah, totally agree. Um I watch a lot of Matt Armstrong stuff and his rebuild. He's coming to problem after problem after problem. There's a, you know, big one at the moment. He's rebuilding a a Bugatti and um they've refused to help, but it looks as though he's uh he's getting it done. Um, but it's interesting see him to see him work through those problems and it um they are they're taking that ability away.

[00:53:50]They just want it all in house. Does that affect um residual prices as well? And does that protect the brand a certain certain amount? I suspect it does on the the higher end stuff as well, Simon, doesn't it?

[00:54:02]>> Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I'm not surprised Matt's having a struggle with the Bugatti cuz I remember watching um the process you have to go through to change the oil on the Veyron.

[00:54:13]It's a half day job just cuz you've got to remove all sorts just to get the the under tray and and yeah, I mean I know it's a complicated piece but they definitely not built ease into the way that you can maintain that thing.

[00:54:28]No, no, that's that the Veyron, his Veyron that he's got. He's uh he's built. He's Yeah, he's he's got a Veyron now that he's um I think it was a repossessed finance one. There's not loads wrong with it, but there was a a little fix on something. I saw that it was a a little a little fuse that effectively had blown stop it working.

[00:54:49]So, you know, he he fixed a a million pound hypercar with a with a probably a 20p fuse from Halford's. um he's not totally done it yet, but it it's it's interesting. I you know that and that's an area of um my knowledge that I don't know loads about. I'm terrible mechanically. Don't ever ask me to fix your car cuz I I just couldn't. Um I'm that person to go and give it to someone else and just let them sort it. We should do something. We we should go and see if we can rescue a vehicle and and and bring it home and and test ourselves cuz I'm I'm not mechanically um minded per se, but I I can wield a spanner quite well. I've done, you know, engine changes and gearbox changes on on various things and and so I I think I know what I'm wearing.

[00:55:36]>> But at what era does that stop being useful knowledge?

[00:55:40]>> Yeah, absolutely.

[00:55:42]>> Absolutely. Um, so many sense I couldn't imagine. Imagine with adaptive suspension now even changing a shock and spring. Do you know what where I'm coming from? It's something that that I did do on my old Vauhall Cavalere. All right. I cut the I think I've said this before. I cut the springs off with an angle grinder cuz it didn't have spring clamps. Um, but you know, you then go into the electronics of the adaptive suspension and stuff like that and it's just a whole different level of complication that I wouldn't even dare I wouldn't even dare take the blasted wheel off me.

[00:56:17]>> Yeah. Um, I'm I'm going to guess you were taking the springs out of your uh you say your cavalier.

[00:56:25]You were putting lowering springs on, weren't you?

[00:56:29]>> In one. Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely.

[00:56:33]Yeah, >> you're so Max Power.

[00:56:36]>> No, absolutely. What a what a magazine that was as well. By the way, I used to love Max Power. Um, never had it and cool enough to be anywhere near that magazine. But you don't Interestingly, you don't see loads of people modifying cars that much nowadays, I think. Or I don't know whether it's just my my area of Liverpool that you you know, that's probably fell away a fair bit. Do do you see much modded stuff around your way anymore, Simon?

[00:57:01]>> No. Well, I mean, you'll get the the the decided um no backbox diesels where they're um chucking smoke out the back and they've got the ECU tune, but that it all comes back to that fact in that peak era in that Max Power era which was what mid9s to 2000s >> that that was in the area where there was the culture of being able to modify your vehicles and the ability to modify your vehicles was there. Um, there was nothing really complicated. Yeah, there was ECUs, but you could get around them.