Shocking moment driver grabs cyclist and punches him in the head ‘before knocking his wife off her bike’ in row over riding two abreast
- Ady Short was riding with his wife and six friends in in Swindon last month
- A black Nissan pulled up behind the cyclists on the narrow and bendy road
- Mr Short was punched in the face when he wanted to talk with the motorist
A cyclist was grabbed and repeatedly punched in the head by a driver who was angry that they were riding side by side.
Footage shows the driver sounding his horn as he overtakes Ady Short and seven other cyclists, some of whom are riding two abreast, which it legal on UK roads.
The Nissan then slows down as the driver gesticulates and remonstrates out of the car window at the cyclists on a road near Swindon in Wiltshire.
Mr Short puts his hand on the vehicle’s wing mirror to try to keep pace with the car as he tries to talk to the driver.
At this point the driver grabs his arm and repeatedly punches him in the head, sending him falling onto the road.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZOQXGehciiM%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1
The video shows cyclist Ady Short getting punched in the face by a motorist last month in Swindon
Mr Short was trying to talk to the driver after he shouted that they should ride in single file
The rider’s wife Mandi, who was ahead of him and was filming, fell from the saddle during the confrontation, and Mr Short claimed she was knocked off by the driver.
Mr Short and his wife were with six other members of the Swindon Wheelers club when the incident happened.
He said he and his friends were on a narrow, bendy section of road when the black Nissan closed in behind them.
He said: ‘He followed us for about 90 seconds, overtook us and braked hard in front of the group, causing us to swerve around him but as we rode around him he took off again within the group, causing further issues whilst remonstrating about us not singling out.
‘(He wouldn’t have got past one person let alone eight through the bendy section).’
Mr Short said he is the club secretary and trained how to de-escalate any situations, adding ‘so normally (happens too often) we wait to hear what they say and then explain why we were riding two abreast.’
He told cycling blog, Road CC: ‘He was very angry as you can see but before I could explain he started hitting me, I just suffered a black eye as a result and didn’t actually get the chance to say anything before he hit me.
Ady Short, pictured, was punched in the face by a Nissan driver in a road rage incident in Swindon
Mr Short’s wife Mandi, pictured, filmed the incident and was shocked when she saw her husband getting punched. The couple were riding with six other members of the Swindon Wheelers last month when the incident happened
‘He also knocked my wife off her bike, the camera was hers and she suffered cuts and bruises but wasn’t considered part of the case as the police couldn’t actually see her.
‘We made the guy wait as the police were called and told him when he tried to drive off that he would end up in more trouble.’
Mrs Short told the BBC: ‘It was pretty scary. I was thinking “my goodness, if he moves forward any more this is really going to hurt and it could be quite life changing for me”.’
The Highway Code currently states that cyclists can ride side by side but should ‘never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.’
However, cycling organisations have campaigned for changes stating that it is sometimes safer to ride two abreast when cycling in larger groups on narrow lanes.
Wiltshire Police said they were called to the incident and gave the motorist a caution.
A spokesperson said: ‘In line with national policy, in cases of common assault with no injury, where the offender is identified and fully admits the offence, then an adult caution is deemed a suitable outcome.
‘We are committed to providing a high level of service for all victims of crime, and if any victim is dissatisfied with the service they have received then they can make a formal complaint via the Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner.’
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