• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Driver Notices Snake Casually Wrapping Itself Around His Wing Mirror Down The M5

Home> Community

Updated 11:57 24 May 2024 GMT+1Published 14:50 26 Apr 2022 GMT+1

Driver Notices Snake Casually Wrapping Itself Around His Wing Mirror Down The M5

A family spotted an unlikely visitor as they were speeding down the motorway

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

For the most part, the motorway is a pretty mundane thing where nothing too out of the blue, par the odd traffic jam, actually happens. But, for this driver, something a little more peculiar than some morning road rage or spilt takeaway coffee happened. Watch below:

On a commute towards Staffordshire on the M5, 25-year-old Charlie Bristow noticed a less than welcome hitchhiker just casually catching a ride on the hood of his vehicle. 

Impressively able to stay on the van, which was driving at a speedy 70mph, was none other than a grass snake clinging to the bonnet of Bristow’s motor. 

Advert

Quick thinking Charlie pulled out his phone and recorded the odd reptilian encounter as his dad, James, drove on in disbelief. 

Charlie took to TikTok to share the strange moment captured on film, captioning the short clip “Driving down the M5 when this happened.”

Charlie Bristow with his dad and cousin.
Deadline News

The video shows the small snake hanging out on the right wing mirror, sticking its tongue out as passengers in the van all exclaim their shock over the bizarre situation. 

The family echo the words, “Bloody hell,” as the slithery guy journeys from the car bonnet to the wing mirror merely centimetres away from Charlie’s phone. 

Advert

“Jesus Christ,” another passenger confesses, “I don’t think I have ever seen a snake.”

After a few more seconds, the speed clearly becomes a bit too much and the snake falls off the side of the car, with Charlie captioning the scene with: “RIP lil buddy” as a chorus of “Oh no” can be heard from the backseats. 

A snake hitched a ride on a car on the motorway.
CONTENTbible

Since sharing the TikTok, the clip has now amassed over 25,000 views and the responses to the fiasco have split its audience. 

“Poor little grassy,” one concerned commenter wrote, “hope he’s good.” 

Advert

Sharing a similar sentiment, another commented: “I’m going to pretend there’s a part 2 and the little guy is ok.”

Some even took their sympathy for the snake a little too far: “You should have opened the window and let him in.”

While others felt sorry for the little guy, the video clearly put some ophidiophobes on edge, with one writing: "Why have I seen this, I’m gonna be checking everything.”

Charlie, meanwhile, reassured viewers that they 'tried to pull over but there wasn’t a hard shoulder' yet didn’t actually see the snake 'for a good 10 seconds or so'.

The snake sadly fell off the car onto the motorway.
CONTENTbible

Advert

“My dad, the driver, spotted it first and shouted, ‘Oh my god there is a f***ing snake there’,” the 25-year-old recounted. 

Bristow concluded by echoing the more sympathising TikTok comments: “We really wanted to pull over and save it, but unfortunately it was a smart motorway so we couldn’t pull over."

The British grass snake, also known as Natrix Helvetica, is non-venomous and also the UK’s longest native snake spanning an impressive one metre in length. 

While they can be found in a whole variety of habitats, including woodland, grass snakes are said to be predominantly found close to water and in lowland areas of Britain.

The snakes are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act which ensures their safety by making it illegal to intentionally injure or kill them.

Featured Image Credit: CONTENTbible

Topics: UK News

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Senior Journalist at Tyla, specialising in TV, film, travel, and culture. A graduate of the University of Manchester with a degree in English Literature, she honed her editorial skills as the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the UK’s largest student newspaper. With a keen eye for storytelling, Rhiannon brings fresh perspectives to her writing, blending critical insight with an engaging style. Her work captures the intersection of entertainment and real-world experiences.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

10 hours ago
a day ago
  • 10 hours ago

    Google Maps users convinced strange sighting created by 'ancient alien visitors' to leave a 'sign' behind

    That's me convinced

    Community
  • a day ago

    Man’s life was saved when Domino’s workers noticed he didn’t place an order one day

    Sometimes cheesy stories can be heartwarming too

    Community
  • a day ago

    Man bought storage container for £1,400 and made enormous profit after discovering what was inside

    One man's trash is another man's treasure

    Community
  • a day ago

    Brutal ancient torture method used against spies was worryingly simple but one of the worst ever

    The mental ramifications are much worse than the physical

    Community
  • Lamborghini driver shamed for parking in disabled bay responds in the most British way
  • American visiting the UK reveals 'proper and posh' phrases his pals don't understand
  • Cambridge professor reveals ultimate heatwave hack to cool down your sweltering car in seconds
  • Reason why Matty Healy has ‘what a shame’ written on his guitar as The 1975 headline Glastonbury