I’m a driving instructor and I’ve compiled footage of some of the worst motorists I’ve seen – it’s unbelievable
A DISHEARTENED driving instructor compiled footage of some of the worst motorists he has ever seen – that are leaving learners terrified.
Andy Hardy, 56, captured clips of a string of Brits causing chaos on the roads while dangerously zooming past his students.
He explained the increasing lack of driving decorum on UK roads is leaving his clients scared to get behind the wheel.
A record number of learners are quitting their driving lessons amid a road rage epidemic across the country, it was revealed last week.
It encouraged Andy to share his collection of unbelievable dashcam footage to highlight the horrors his students encounter.
He released a six-minute video showcasing the most dramatic encounters his petrified pupils have experienced in Northumberland.
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One shows one of his students stop as they gave the right of way to an oncoming van – only for another motorist to speed through the gap.
Another shock clip shows an impatient bus driver pulling out on a learner who was navigating a busy roundabout – blocking their route and forcing them to slam on the brakes.
A third shows a pupil exiting a junction with a clear road ahead, before a barmy white van driver undertakes them at speed.
And in another horror near miss, a learner is taking on a challenging bend in the dark when another motorist dangerously drives in front.
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The hair-raising footage showed how the car nearly ploughing into an oncoming vehicle as they completed the risky manoeuvre.
Andy also captured the moment a brazen Brit stopped one of his students in their tracks on a clear road – by pulling out on them instead of waiting for their car to pass.
As well as this, another white van man was seen jumping in front of a learner while they were waiting at temporary traffic lights.
The footage has infuriated fellow instructors, with many calling on the government to bring in stiffer penalties for road rage offences.
Andy fumed: “Dangerous driving in the proximity of learners can really have a detrimental effect in more ways than one.
“Many of my students are young people and aggression on the roads can be extremely daunting when added to the stress of learning to drive a vehicle.
“I have posted videos and messages on social media in the past to highlight the issue and to make people aware that it isn’t nice to treat learners in such a way.
“All this receives is comments from trolls who do nothing but post their opinions about how we shouldn’t be on the road in the first place forgetting they were once in that position.
“Other road users are quick to forget that there’s someone in that car that they’re hurling abuse at.”
The former military officer, who runs Andy Hardy Driving School, has been an instructor for six years and has noticed a significant decline in respect from other motorists.
Andy continued: ” Some students have anxiety when on the road and this doesn’t help to resolve that – I have lost students who completely gave up on driving due to this aggressive behaviour.
“Driving schools need more protection and so do the pupils, threats from members of the public on a daily basis wouldn’t be acceptable in any other learning environment, so why is it on the roads?”
It comes after a petition was launched by learner driver insurers Marmalade to bring in tougher road rules.
A survey of more than 1,000 learners and more than 400 instructors across the UK, carried out by the company, revealed every four in five have experienced abuse and intimidation from other road users while driving.
Of the instructors surveyed, nearly 60 per cent said it had increased since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in one in eight learners quitting.
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The report by Marmalade revealed a whopping 99 per cent of UK instructors have witnessed abuse directed at their pupils.
They believe the intimidation is leading to an increase in errors on the road.