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news
Aggressive driver in total meltdown with Carmarthenshire cyclists after close pass
A Carmarthenshire cyclist who received a close pass from an aggressive driver who then parked up to shout at the rider and his companion, began filming the aftermath – including the motorist repeatedly yelling, “Do you remember smacking my car?” and telling him, “You don’t f*cking live here, you live in Llangadog, now f*ck off!”
Race organiser and contributor to our sister site off-road.cc Matt Page told us that the incident happened last week “just outside my home town of Llandovery and the road is the A483.
“I was riding with a friend at the time and doing a good pace and it’s a dead straight road with no traffic and that is why I have absolutely no idea why he was so irate as he passed initially,” Matt said.
“He close passed us tooting, then stopped in the middle of both carriageways 100 metres later and started shouting, so obviously has a big issue with cyclists in general.
“After driving off he was stopped, waiting for us to come along and his stance and manner, I knew he was about to start something, which is why I started filming,” Matt continued.
The footage shows the driver asking, “What’s your name?” with Matt telling him, then saying, “First of all you overtook us when we were riding legally two abreast, completely legal … ”
“So you were blocking the entire road, preventing anyone from overtaking?” the driver responded.
“Excuse me,” replied Matt, “you do not understand the Highway Code,” which makes it clear that cyclists are allowed to ride two abreast.
The motorist, raising his voice, continued to insist that “You were blocking the entire road,” before repeatedly asking Matt, “Do you remember smacking my car?” – something Matt denied – with the driver perilously close to a meltdown of Basil Fawltyesque proportions.
The driver then told Matt to “F*ck off,” and receiving the reply, “I’m from here,” responds, “Sure you are.”
When Matt said, “I live in Llangadog” – a village around 5km southwest of Llandovery – he is told, by the increasingly animated motorist, “Llangadog, do you? So you don’t f*cking live here, you live in Llangadog, now f*ck off!”
The driver, who returned to his car to take his own phone and start filming, again asks Matt his name and accuses him once more of hitting his car – an allegation he continued to deny.
The motorist, who seemed to think he may have grounds for an insurance claim, demands Matt’s address, and burst out laughing when he received the response, “I know all the police around here,” continuing to insist Matt wasn’t a local while not answering the question of where he is from himself.
The man then speeds off, making a punishment pass and beeping his horn, but the episode isn’t over yet.
“After the initial altercation he was in Llandovery town centre and upon spotting us again came to confront us,” Matt said.
At that last encounter, he repeatedly asked Matt, “What would you do if I slapped on your brand new car? What would you do? What would you do? What would you do,” before walking off with a parting greeting of “Tosser.”
“This has been reported to the Police on the day of the incident,” Matt added, “but the case has yet to be assigned to an officer despite it being a week ago.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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89 comments
No the one that fondled his bollocks.
I wouldn't have stopped, but since you did why didn't you tell him you would slap his head if he didn't get out of your face.
I find it strange that motorists happily wait several minutes at train level crossing gates when they are down, but when they are delayed a bit by cyclists they have a road rage fit. I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that generally, club cyclists are young powerful fit athletes and road rage motorists are not. They are jealous because the cyclists are superior than they are.
Motorists are never happy to wait at level crossings.
And they never have the need to catch their breath when stopped at a traffic light.
They are at my double level crossing at Barnes - I watch them, most of them even switch off their car engines.
Oh kingleo, behave, you make me blush....
I was in a pub having a drink when a non-cycling motorist I was talking to said" when you are behind them it's seeing those big bronze calf muscles that make us jealous!
That's exactly how the road rage incident that stopped me from riding on the roads went, except in my case it ended in assault. Standard driver playbook, with added are you local special sauce (had that a few times in lockdown 1). For the non-carists it's worth remembering that touching their car is broadly equivalent to the age-old "your Mum" aggression escalator.
I had a similar incident that resulted in a hiatus from the road.
I now try to not engage. Just blank them and move on. Getting out of the vehicle is a proper red flag - never going to end well. But difficult in this case as the driver could have pushed them off if they didn't stop.
It's an arse that this stuff happens just for going out for a bike ride - if only there was some deterrent. Let's hope the police are able to provide something.
I found the video uncomfortable to watch because of the obnoxious bullying attitude of that driver. It's a no-win situation when faced with an arsehole like that and I'm sorry your incident ended with assault. It just strikes me as ridiculous that some people get so wound up when driving that a tiny delay sends them into such a tantrum.
From what I can tell it falls somewhere between kicking them in the nuts and violating their first born child in severity of offence.
Don't even start thinking of criticising their awful driving...
Similar to the incident that forced me to buy a camera. Wanker close-passed me needlessly (other lane empty). I called out, he slowed down, I (stupidly) overtook, he proceeded to chase me across a roundabout before swerving in front of me and slamming the brakes on, almost causing me to hit his car. Wanker then got out and threatened me with violence. His wife/girlfriend was in the passenger seat and did nothing.
I was so shaken up, I didn't even get the registration number. Reported to the police but I didn't have enough information for them to act. Bought my first camera that same day and I NEVER ride without one, unless off-road or in France. Where drivers aren't cunts towards cyclists.
I would so turn this round saying that driver hit them while overtaking too close and call the police.
How does the law stand on "slapping" people's vehicles. If there's no damage, was a crime commited? And did "Matt" have to give his name, was it classed as an accident?
If there is no damage then its not an offence.
Ask to see the damage, when confronted.
Ok thanks, I was just curious because there was 'contact', which seems to affect some cases.
Don’t tell him your name Pike.
Indeed I wonder if the drivers who get so worked about about this and start talking about criminal damage, take action about anyone who kocks on their fron door to get their attention.
Royal mail must be defending thousands of cases daily.
Next time you're accused of slapping a moving vehicle say "really?! Were you driving THAT close that I could've done that? Sounds like dangerous driving to me".
That all said I'm of the opinion that unless you're in a large group two abreast is not the best option. It can be seen as obstructive, and until the law is changed (I'm aware something is coming in) the Highway Code does suggest pulling in, to let faster vehicles pass if slowing down large amounts of traffic. Not popular here, but I do feel opinion sweeps past what is actually the neutral point and onto what pro-cycling view points - the roads are for everyone that applies to cyclists, motorists, walkers, truckers and horse riders
That's what I've always said to people whose car I HAVE slapped - if I can slap your car, you're too close.
As for the riding two abreast, I often do that with my mate when we're out on our own. We'll pull over to single if we need to but most overtakes can be done on the bigger roads without needing to, especially if the road is quieter (one car every 30 seconds or so quieter) which is what this sounds like it was.
If hes' close enough to slap then he's too close
Have had a glancing blow to my arm / shoulder twice by close passes but strangely the driver on each occasion never stopped to argue with me about making contact with their vehicle.
In this case I would simply call the police usually find that calms the situation quite quickly.
Shocking behaviour from that driver - wants locking up in a mental institution, preferably in Uzbekistan or somewhere else a long way away. Absolute cock. Matt so impressed with how cool you managed to stay despite his incredibly threatening abuse.
I wouldn't hold your breath with the police . I got forced off the road by a driver with his car who then got out and punched me round the head until some one pulled him off. I had 3 witnesses but as 2 of them were friends the police only took one of their statements and because of a small discrepancy between their stories and mine and the drivers claim that I hit him first meant they have not proceeded . So he has got away with driving his car into me and beating me up . If I wasn't wearing my helmet I would have been seriously injured.
Maybe he was so angry because he'd just bought a brand new car, then suddenly lost his job for threatening to run over cyclists in his truck, and now he can't keep up the payments.
Whatever, he should be removed from the road for dangerous driving, and putting innocent people in fear of violence from his ultra-aggressive behaviour.
You're being really unfair. If cyclists hadn't stoked his hatred he wouldn't have felt the need to distance himself by spending more than he could afford, which led to stress whose only logical conclusion was by threatening cyclists with a lorry thereby leading directly to the loss of his honest income, and the inability to pay his credit card bill.
Facking cyclists....
The motorist delayed himself by four minutes - he seems to be mentally ill.
Mental illness has many forms and symptoms, but the chances of it leading to this display are slim to say the least.
My diagnosis is that he's a tosser.
Agreed. Mental illness does not equal twattery. Not by a very very long way.
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