A video of a driver overtaking an indicating cyclist ahead of a tight bend before storming out of his car to confront the rider has gone viral on Twitter, being viewed more than three million times since yesterday.
In a twist to the scene the motorist’s vehicle rolled away after the man forgot to apply the handbrake, prompting the cyclist to warn, “your car’s running away, careful!” and the driver to run back to stop the vehicle before continuing his rant.
> Near Miss of the Day 844: Driver insists cyclists who film motorists are asking to be hit
The clip was shared on social media by the ‘Northfield cyclist’ account who revealed the driving on show was “only worthy of a ‘warning letter sent for inconsiderate driving’ from Warwickshire Police”.
“I was indicating to turn right approx 50 yards before turn = brake checked and two very, very angry people,” they explained.
Only worthy of a “Warning letter sent for inconsiderate driving” from Warwickshire Police. I was indicating to turn right approx 50yds before turn=Brake checked and 2 very, very angry people #hockleyheath #cycling pic.twitter.com/VmHiOyHKqN
— Northfield cyclist (@Northfieldcycl1) January 13, 2023
The video appears to be filmed on Spring Lane near the M24 in Solihull, just south of Birmingham and shows the cyclist riding north at the moment they indicate to turn right.
Seemingly ignoring the signal the driver overtakes the rider who then waves his arm in disgust at the manoeuvere approaching a turn. In reply, the driver of the Peugeot then twice brake checks the cyclist before coming to a stop and shouting, “what’s up with you you t**t?”
While the rider answers, “you don’t overtake while I’m indicating to turn right please”, the driver storms out of the vehicle before comically running back after being told his car’s running away.
Handbrake safely applied the confrontation continued, the driver asking “what on earth is up with you, man?”
With one more brake check the motorist leaves the scene as a passer by checks the cyclist is okay.
Earlier this month we shared the 842nd of our Near Miss of the Day series highlighting dangerous driving on Britain’s roads, in which a passenger jumped out of a car to remonstrate with a cyclist — after the driver cut a corner and almost hit him.
“Listen now, I saw you, she wasn’t cutting [the corner],” the passenger, now standing in the road in front of the cyclist, suggested.
“What do you mean, she wasn’t cutting the corner?” came the baffled reply.
Then, delivered with a startling irony, the woman shouted at the cyclist to “get off the road” before he’s on the receiving end of yet more dodgy driving.
After the rider, understandably, asked why he was the recipient of a verbal lashing after a motorist cut the corner of a junction, almost hitting him, the protective passenger replied: “Because you’re standing still there and there’s other traffic, and you’ll cause an accident.”
68 thoughts on “Furious road rage motorist goes viral for confronting cyclist — as car rolls away because he forgot to apply handbrake”
Imagine if the cyclist had
Imagine if the cyclist had not been good enough to immediately warn the motorist his car was rolling away. A few moments more and the errant car would have been on the wrong side of the road straight into oncoming traffic round the bend. Strikes me that sort of negligence is worth more than a letter.
> Strikes me that sort of
> Strikes me that sort of negligence is worth more than a letter.
absolutely not. The cyclist should’ve prevented this by not appearing on the road first. Also the driver has some kind of crisis / problem / he’s in rush / sun was in his eyes / a minute of stupidity, etc.
leipreachan wrote:
You forgot ‘otherwise law-abiding’ 😉
sure. Father-of-fifteen, as
sure. Father-of-fifteen, as if it makes them more responsible.
You know what would have
You know what would have happened… if cyclist had kept quiet about the rolling car, they would have been prosecuted for wilful endangerment.
Is “wilful endangerment” is a
Is “wilful endangerment” even a thing in UK law for an act of ommission as would be here, rather than an act of commission?
I can see there being “reckless endangerment”, but proving that the lack of warning was a deliberate guilty act would be interesting.
Though “Mate – you need to exchange insurance details with …. CRUNCH …. him !” would make for a more entertaining video.
mattw wrote:
Notwithstanding that cyclists are held to a higher standard, you’d think any decent legal representation would make a valid case that when someone is behaving towards you in a threatening capacity, uou will not have the bandwidth to pick up on other errors the threatening person has made.
JustTryingToGetFromAtoB wrote
“I saw the car starting to move, but thought it was some alpha-male dominance thing to not care about damage, so I kept quiet as he was moving aggressively and may have started to throw shit at any moment”
Obviously the decent thing to
Obviously the decent thing to warn the driver that their car was rolling away, if only for the safety of other road users. But personally, I think I’d have waited just a few seconds more to be absolutely sure it was moving. Wouldn’t want to cause undue alarm.
Maybe give it a push too,
Maybe give it a push too, just to check your hypothesis and avoid a false positive?
Should have lamped the
Should have lamped the miserable twat.
Should’ve waited a little
Should’ve waited a little longer before telling him the car was rolling away.
I would have been tempted not
I would have been tempted not to tell him at all.
I would have resisted that temptation – I’d a let it roll far, far away!
.
Flintshire Boy wrote:
I’d’ve tried to engage him in in conversation so that he didn’t notice until too late. Stupid people deserve stupid prizes.
I considered that too, but
I considered that too, but could result in a crash and thus the serious injury or death of someone completely unlrelated to the incident. Not very ethical really.
Sometimes yes but on this
Sometimes yes but on this occasion the other traffic was stationary or moving slowly so only a tiny fender bender and anyone driving safely would have plenty of time to react anyway.
I’m probably in a minority but whenever I pass a crash I just think it means two less idiots on the road who could have killed a cyclist or pedestrian instead and maybe the increased insurance cost might make them a bit more careful in future.
I suppose. Northfield
I suppose. Northfield cyclist is the better man here by a country mile.
inadequate police response to multiple offences clearly evidenced – the warning letter will be torn up.
I suggested that in the
I suggested that in the comments on Twitter and got this slightly over the top response…
https://twitter.com/Sniffer1967/status/1614017256987717632?s=20&t=zeVDmP1IRlxIKaR6LIfZhQ
a1white wrote:
Some people are so absorbed into carbrain culture that they can’t appreciate that the person who brings heavy machinery into a public place is responsible for that machinery and the safety of other people around it.
Should be more than a warning
Should be more than a warning letter due to the excessive aggression. I do not want drivers to respond with aggression to any polite discussion or criticism of their lack of consideration of others.
Id agree though remind a
Id agree though remind a letter is still considered a success it has to pass the same evidential standard as a NIP just the outcome punishment if you like for is lower than points and a fine, though if some forces hand them out for lesser stuff than this, theres a clear inconsistency developing.
but it maybe due to variety of things in play, we havent seen the full clip, and Im surprised for instance we havent mentioned the case this week where a road rage thug escaped jail because the judge (who seems an interesting character) decided the prisons were too full https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/labour-slams-prison-cell-cuts-28941486
Im sure the courts are still backlogged so prosecutions maybe being saved for serious harm cases
Not to this level, but I was
Not to this level, but I was punish passed last night for daring to slow a car from approaching the red lights 4 seconds sooner. As I was sat behind I noticed the passenger window was down and some ranting which the camera picked up some of it as “should be on the pavement”. I raised that in my online ticket to WMP which I hope proves the act was deliberate rather then a smidsy if they bother to do anything about it.
What a miserable old fekker.
What a miserable old fekker. He came close to an elbow through the chin.
Or. He may have a dementia related illness setting in.
Tricky one to call.
the clenched right fist ready
the clenched right fist ready for a fight….there are some psycho car drivers out there! BTW, would have loved to see his car roll on to that bend and get smashed to f*ck by an HGV caning it round the corner
I do wonder how people like
I do wonder how people like this guy react when they get a warning or points on their licence? Do they realise their behaviour and driving has been poor? Do they change at all?
Do they change at all?
Do they change at all?
Not to an ‘advice letter’ they don’t
It seems obvious that many
It seems obvious that many drivers have an incredibly fragile ego, and any questioning of their ability to drive has to be met with potential violence. This driver must have been checking for a response from the cyclist, otherwise he’d never have seen the cyclist gesticulate in the mirror, while approaching a turning and a bend.
Yet again, a driver overtakes dangerously, with a cyclist indicating right, approaching a turning and a sharp bend, because they don’t have time to wait, then they stop, get out of their car and have an argument. There are so many cases of this, with the drivers being identifiable, that I think some student of transport or pyschology or both, should track them down and find out what was going through their minds when they did it. Then find out if they’ve realised how stupid they were, especially this one; stopping without putting the handbrake on, classic. He didn’t even thank the cyclist for saving his car.
My observation is while
My observation is while agreeing with others that the driver should have anticipated that a cyclist in the centre of their lane while indicating an intention to turn right, they were likely to veer closer to the centre line as they approached the junction, and would therefore create a dangerous close pass if that manoeuvre was made. Poor driving skills – lack of anticipation leading to driving without due care.
Ah, a PPW.
Ah, a PPW.
Always think twice about poking narcissists, they don’t like it up ’em. Particularly if they’re having to drive a shitty Peugeot rather than something a little more aspirational. Although I did freak one out once by calling him by his first name, deduced from the plate.
For example, it looks tiny
For example, it looks tiny-dicked Andrew Tate is under the impression he’s James Bond, clearly has a thing for “SPY” plates BBC News – Romanian police seize luxury cars from Andrew Tate’s property
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64273973
kil0ran wrote:
Can we stop demonising the poorly-endowed, please?
WeThey already have enough onourtheir plate.Enough for who?
Enough for who? 😉
The motorist probably passed
The motorist probably passed his driving test 40 years ago and in that time there’s been no retest or refresher leading to bad habits and entitlement.
McHackety, save your ageist
McHackety, save your ageist claptrap for elswhere, you don’t become ‘entitled’ just because you are older. Anyway, most of the people who cut me up are youngsters driving cheap hatchbacks way too fast.
Hmm, I’m in my 60s, and it
Hmm, I’m in my 60s, and it seems the most argumentative drivers who decide that as a cyclist you are clearly in the wrong despite the facts (as opposed to the ones that try and lamp you one) are older than me.
So where did that happen?
So where did that happen?
B4101
B4101
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zhyqT6zxHcdaavZQ7
We’ll have to keep an eye out
We’ll have to keep an eye out for this one Ian.
We do have history on this very road too. Apparently 8 extended right arms means “please overtake us here” not “we’re turning right in a few yards”
Ah, yes, I remember it well.
Ah, yes, I remember it well.
Classic driver unable to cope
Classic driver unable to cope with a wave – HWC do not overtake approaching a junction. That cyclist was not overly early in signalling, and interesting that the idea of waiting was so repugnant that they are prepared to delay themselves and other road users far longer to make their point. This sort of behaviour should be getting extra sanctions not let off with a shrug.
I would have gone for a complaint of assault – note the rider steps back when confronted with a man approaching him with clenched fists – expecting to be hit is assault, it does not require contact.
Also there was a public order offence with the swearing – how many times have we heard that police have to deal with all offences when videos are submitted?
Then the driver just couldn’t let it go, clearly giving hard consideration to following the cyclist down the country lane.
The road is off the A3400, near the M42 (not M24!), the incident just after the 50mph road signs – and a notable Baptist Church and footpath that leads to an obelisk that you can see from the M40 just before the Henley turn off.
Also there was a public order
Also there was a public order offence with the swearing
The only application of the swearing dodge which the police bother with is the ‘we can’t do anything about the close pass because of the swearing’ one. It doesn’t count if the driver swears at the cyclist because the police view that as ‘fair comment’
I’d be willing to give you 10
I’d be willing to give you 10 to 1 that if the cyclist had got off his bike that idiot wouldn’t have set foot outside his car. Staying on your bike puts you at an obvious disadvantage and empowers morons ike him
Hopping off and placing bike
Hopping off and placing bike between you and them is best policy. Particularly if you’re riding mahoosive pinned pedals. You can use it defensively to fend them off and probably offensively too. In fact, perhaps the UCI should include “road rage driver defence” as a set piece in artistic cycling.
I hate that corner but
I hate that corner know it well. Always hated it because I’m worried about getting hit from behind when turning right. It’s really tricky because the junction is on a hairpin bend and you can’t see the oncoming traffic until the last moment and neither can the twats behind who are desperate to get past because you’ve slowed them down. It’s one of those junctions where you just hope to get past it as fast as possible.
Hence the early preparation.
Hence the early preparation.
Thanks for the local knowledge.
The whole network of roads
The whole network of roads between there and Earlswood have cycling unfriendly features – but the main feature is the drivers.
My worst interactions with
My worst interactions with drivers are with those with personalised plates.
I reckon this is a Steve.
BJP 9 was as Audi driver (I’m guessing Brian)
who was incensed that I objected to him giving me no space with his punishment pass when I was walking in the road and didn’t step onto the waterlogged slippery verge.
B3 WBA – probably a Bill rather than a Baggies fan, was the guy who said he’d run me off the fecking road of he wanted to, and I regret glancing at the combine harvester to alert him he was about to drive into it to this day!
IanMSpencer wrote:
Today an Audi with a personal plate close-passed me, jumped a red light, and turned right in front of an oncoming car, all in the space of 30 seconds. I’m getting a camera!
An Audi? Say it isn’t so.
An Audi? Say it isn’t so.
© Hall & Oates
i prefer to call them vanity
i prefer to call them vanity plates
Can Road.cc request
Can Road.cc request clarification from the police force why this was only a warning letter despite clear evidence of a public order offence. The police have stated many times that cyclists on the receiving end of dangerous overtakes are not allowed to swear or raise their fists because the police would rather prosecute the cyclist for a public order offence than punish a dangerous driver.
Muddy Ford wrote:
I think you’ve rather answered your own question there.
Can Road.cc request
Can Road.cc request clarification from the police force why this was only a warning letter despite clear evidence or a public order offence
No they can’t, because they know that the police laugh off questions like that and deal with them by not replying
Psychopathic drivers reading
Surely the failure to control the vehicle is an offence?
Calc wrote:
Definitely, failure to secure the vehicle with the handbrake when exiting the driver’s seat comes under careless driving; a number of drivers in tragic cases have been found guilty of causing death by careless driving when they haven’t put the handbrake on and their vehicle has rolled over someone.
My first job was working for
My first job was working for a Ford dealer. Bloke picked up his brand new Scorpio, hopped out to put his sheepskin jacket (I kid you not, it was the late 80s after all) in the boot, forgot the handbrake, car rolled across the forecourt, glanced off a lamp post and into the road. Instant write off. Naturally, he tried to blame the PDI for an improperly adjusted handbrake but had no luck.
In more tragic circumstances the actor who played Chekhov in the Star Trek reboots was killed by an issue related to the electronic handbrake in his car. As with many things in modern cars this sort of improvement (electronic handbrakes) reduce safety for everyone and increases costs when they go wrong.
George and MIldred resurface
George and MIldred resurface form the 1970s.
Where’s John Pertwee when he is needed?
PS the motorist leaves the
PS the motorist leaves the scene as a passer by checks the cyclist is okay
The passer-by is a passenger from the vehicle who possibly got out as a result of the crazed, fist-clenched driver leaving the vehicle to roll away on its own. I think she tries to slow the vehicle manually (as opposed to applying the handbrake herself) and I doubt she is checking that the cyclist is OK- she may have been asking the driver whether he’s been taking his medication.
wtjs wrote:
It’s not referring to her, at the end of the video (1.01) the sunglasses-clad driver of the dark car coming in the other direction sticks his head out of the window and asks the cyclist if he’s alright.
It’s beyond me how someone
It’s beyond me how someone with such uncontrolled anger issues is allowed out in public, let alone allowed to be in charge (I hesitate to say control, for obvious reasons) of a 4-wheeled killing machine.
MattieKempy wrote:
Agree 100%. If you get that angry that easily should you be driving or even out and about unsupervised.
I bet if you did a Twitter
I bet if you did a Twitter survey, a high percentage would suggest his response was understandable due to “cyclisty things”. Remember there are plenty of people who think that anything that doesn’t kill a cyclist is acceptable and indeed a fair few are prepared to give killing cyclists a free pass, including our legal institutions.
Remember there are plenty of
Remember there are plenty of people who think that anything that doesn’t kill a cyclist is acceptable
Including many in the police, who found this to be such normal driving behaviour that they didn’t rate it as worthy of any response at all
https://upride.cc/incident/yn67mvj_sainsburys44tonner_closepass/
I realise that many have seen this before, so I’m practicing making easily identifiable links, so that people will know that!
Thought experiment. Overtake
Thought experiment. Overtake a turn-indicating police car, then brake check them and get out and yell at them. See if you only receive a warning letter
This video would have been
This video would have been far more entertaining if the vehicle had continued rolling away until crashing, with the hapless old fool running after it..
Angry boomer is angry. News
Angry boomer is angry. News at 11.
Probably would have waited
Probably would have waited until the car got up to jogging speed, and then told him it was rolling away. He could then explain what happened to his insurance company.