Cyclists in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire are being urged to help police bring to justice a motorist caught on film veering across the road to pass an oncoming rider with just inches to spare in what appears to be a deliberate and highly dangerous close pass. Two other cyclists have come forward to say they believe they were targeted by the same driver in the same manner, with one adding that action needs to be taken before someone is killed.
The husband of one of those cyclists told road.cc via Facebook that police proceedings are now under way against the motorist.
The cyclist who filmed the incident he was involved in, Dave Jones, posted a link to the video, which is hosted on the photo-sharing site Flickr, to timetriallingforum.co.uk on 1 May. You can watch it here.
He said: “Last night [30 April] while riding near Ashton Keynes [Wiltshire], an oncoming dark blue Peugeot car, registration V496ELT swerved onto my side of the road and drove at me at around 50 mph. He presumably didn't see my helmet camera which recorded the incident.
“Unfortunately the wide angle lens makes the vehicle appear further away than it actually was – I thought I was done for. The audio track is drowned by wind noise, but if you listen carefully you can hear that the driver sounded the car horn throughout the incident.
“As shown by the first part of the video clip, the road was clear and he had no reason to cross the white line . . . “
He said he had passed the video to local police who were investigating, adding: “If anyone else in the Wilts/Glos area has had a similar experience with this vehicle, please let me know as the Police would like this info.
“He was travelling northwards on the B4696, just past the Spine Road crossroads when the incident occurred.”
Eventually two cyclists came forward separately on the forum last Friday to say that they too had been involved in similar incidents with what appears to be the same vehicle.
One, called Adriano and a member of Swindon Road Club, said: “On my way to the club 10TT a blue Peugeot drove on to me on my side of the road. The same thing that happen to you but on this occasion I had to throw myself off road to avoid the collision.
“Fortunately no injury was caused to me or the bike. However, I was in shock for a moment and did not know what to do.
“I did not see the reg of the car but I suspect it's the same car that drove on to you. I meet other cyclists on my way to the TT and they said the same thing had happened to them. Something needs to be done as a matter of urgency before someone gets killed.
“This driver is using his car as a weapon to target fellow cyclists. We need to spread the word so we all know there's a maniac on the loose.”
Another rider, Amanda Adams, posted: “I was also swerved into by what also seems the same guy the same eve on the way to Ashton Keynes to the club time trial. Defo blue Peugeot that is similar to my husband’s car.
“I phoned this in to the police as well but I was told (despite mentioning your own incident), that I needed a secondary witness. When I said that three cyclists had this car swerve into them in the space of about 10 mins, he said that if we get together to make a statement that would act as the 'independent' witness.
“There was a guy in a car behind who saw it and who stopped to make sure I was ok but unfortunately I was still too much in shock to ask for his phone number and name.”
She added that she would email Adriano.
Anyone with further information on the vehicle involved, especially those who may have experienced similar situations, is asked to contact Dave Jones through the thread on timetrialling.co.uk or via Flickr so the information can be passed onto the police.
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