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news
Road rage motorist (YouTube/road.cc reader)Road rage motorist who tried to punch cyclist and threw bike fined £600, given six penalty points and ordered to pay for repairs
A cyclist has recalled how he was attacked by a motorist during a road rage incident which ultimately saw the driver arrested and fined after trying to punch the bike rider before throwing his bicycle, causing damage to components.
road.cc reader Mark, who also uploaded the footage to YouTube, dodged punches and grappled with the motorist who tried to take his camera when he realised the attack was being recorded, the incident sparked by the man becoming enraged with the cyclist taking primary position in the middle of the lane at a roundabout to stay visible to other road users.
The driver was arrested later on the same day of the incident, which happened in Tynemouth in September 2019, Mark opting for a restorative justice resolution rather than taking the case to court, the motorist ultimately fined £600, ordered to pay £280 costs for damage to the bike's rear derailleur and bar tape, handed six penalty points, and told to write a letter of apology.
Having pulled over the motorist got out the vehicle and stormed towards the cyclist, asking: "Do you want to go then d******d?" Having missed with a couple of punches the driver then picked up the bike and threw it away.
When trying to justify the attack the motorist then continued: "In the middle of the road? On a roundabout with two lanes? You didn't signal to move over, you didn't signal your intent to go straight ahead..."
The footage then goes shaky for a period of time while the motorist, confronted with the fact their driving and subsequent actions are being filmed, unsuccesfully attempted to take the cyclist's camera.
A couple of passers-by came over to intervene, one of them heard telling the driver "he's allowed to be" when the motorist remonstrated with them about the cyclist being "in the middle of the road".
Recalling the incident to road.cc, Mark said: "I was riding to work, and regularly ride across the roundabout. On a few occasions drivers going west up towards Beach Road have pulled out in front of me on the roundabout, so I make a point of always taking a primary position in order to make sure they can see me.
"On this occasion I could hear a car behind me revving and eventually beeping. I waved at them to make them aware I was holding my line, which no doubt was a red rag to a bull. I proceeded straight across The Broadway only to have the driver follow me and try and ram me off the road as per the video.
"The altercation started, he swung a couple of punches that didn't hit. I span around to dodge them. Once he realised I had a camera on he then tried to rip it off. At this point a couple of other drivers came to my aid."
> Here's what to do if you capture a near miss, close pass or collision on camera while cycling
The motorist was arrested later on, but due to pandemic-related delays a resolution was not found until summer 2020 when Mark opted to "go the restorative justice route" rather than a court appearance.
Dan is the road.cc news editor and has spent the past four years writing stories and features, as well as (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. Having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for the Non-League Paper, Dan joined road.cc in 2020. Come the weekend you'll find him labouring up a hill, probably with a mouth full of jelly babies, or making a bonk-induced trip to a south of England petrol station... in search of more jelly babies.
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55 comments
Nothing wrong with any of his manoeuvres. Driver totally in the wrong.
This poor bloke is probably always 3 hours late to work as he chases down every driver that pisses him off on his journey. He wouldn't only get this irate because it was a cyclist would he?
As a rule of thumb, if somebody isn't indicating, on a roundabout, I wait until I see what they're actual going to do, before acting myself.
But, TBH, I still do that when they ARE indicating.
It's called "reading the situation" and not in the slightest bit hard to do
Anyone so easily triggered and so ignorant of road law should have had their licence removed until they had passed an enhanced driving test, and demonstrated that they had taken an anger management course. Until then, he's still a danger.
If it was me I'd have taken the driver to court. I'd have wanted him landed with an assault charge. It's a criminal offence and would have a major impact on his future employment and ability to travel. At least the driver got some points on the licence. Thugs like that need to be punished properly. A fine and writing a letter of apology doesn't cut it.
You're quite right OldRidgeback. I suspect that timing was the only reason why that didn't happen (it being during the pandemic when the courts were backed up with cases).
Personally I'd be tempted to go for a private prosicution. The driver has admitted guilt by accepting the points and fine.
No full retest? Driver's knowledge of Highway Code seems to have faded over time.
You're being very generous in assuming his knowledge was ever more than perfunctory.
What a selfish entitled idiot! The police should be using this video for educational reasons to highlight exactly what vulnerable road users have to put up with. The fact that any road user has to share space with this pillock is a real issue vand no wonder people are fed up with being treated like this and choose alternative modes. Clearly a dangerous individual with serious anger issues. Absolutely appalling behaviour from a driver who desperately needs retraining. I despair!
"Calm down, calm down.."
Always a bit of a worry when I see videos of roadrage when theyve not done anything to cause it.
Oooh what a charming fella he is!!!
So, this so-called letter of apology that is listed as part of the 'punishment'; do we wanna take bets on how 'sorry' he actually is? My guess is not really very much at all. I suspect that, faced with the same circumstances, he might do the same thing again except he'll propbably look harder for a camera next time before swinging in.
Clearly the option for a driving offence was well and truly missed due to the delays, but he should've been on an assault charge anwyay I reckon.
I liked the nutjobs comment about not indicating the intention to go straight ahead. How do you do that exactly?
Just goes to show when the red mist descends rational thought goes out the window. Yet he's allowed to keep his license!
How does the driver think Mark should have signalled his intent to go straight ahead? I would have thought being in the left hand lane and not signalling left for the first exit would have done it...
I think Mark was meant to shout tick tock tick tock whilst vigorously pumping his left arm in and out after passing the left turn....
I'd have been coming out of that with an assault charge, albeit self defence. Well done keeping your head and avoiding it. What an absolute bell end.
Absolutely Mark's prerogative to choose the route he wished to go down and each to their own; personally with the combination of dangerous driving, criminal assault and damage to property I would have wanted to see the bugger in court with points on his licence, a criminal record and punitive damages.
I'd mostly want him to be ordered to take an anger management course.
Nice top cap on the stem and shame the excellent bar tape was damaged
Would trying to remove the camera and the evidence contained count as an attempt to pervert the course of justice?
Not really. That alludes to giving evidence to the police (or in court) that is dishonest. His actions actually prove the assault charge more as it shows him putting his hands on the cyclist.
Destroying evidence is also perverting the course of justice...
Example: "Kopaniarz also admitted perverting the course of justice by destroying a Samsung mobile he was using at the time of the collision."
https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2023-02-24/lorry-driver-jailed-for-12-...
It's the offence of an attempt to commit theft.
I bet they dont tell you how many offences these type of people have before the incident.
Once a bully always a bully.
Respect to Mark.
Good riding, secondary position without taking up too much space and then primary into and on the roundabout. Textbook cycling.
What the hell is wrong with these people? As I said to recent one, "you've got so upset about being held up for 10 seconds, that you now want to waste 10 minutes arguing with me"
And so utterly convinced that he's in the right and the cyclist in the wrong, yet somehow not so convinced once told there is video evidence of his 'vigilantism'.
And not to mention he is not even slow, he has the same speed as the silver Ford Focus.
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