VIDEO: Swindon cyclist punched in the face during road rage incident
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
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A cyclist was repeatedly punched in the head by an angry driver in shocking footage filmed near Swindon.
The video shows the car sounding its horn as it overtakes Ady Short and other cyclists, some of whom are riding two abreast.
Further down the road, the Nissan slows down and the driver appears to be remonstrating as he points his finger out of the car window at Mr Short.
Mr Short puts his hand on the vehicle’s wing mirror to try to keep pace with the car as he tried 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.
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, also falls from the saddle during the confrontation.
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 into their rear.
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.
‘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 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 that state it is sometimes safer to ride two abreast when riding 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.’
