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Car passenger throws rubbish at man cycling with his 4-year-old son

“What possesses someone to be like that?”, asked the Sheffield ambulance worker, who was thanked by Dan Walker for looking after him after the TV presenter was hit by a driver in February

An ambulance practitioner cycling with his 4-year-old son had rubbish thrown at them by a car passenger while heading to a Sheffield mass cycle event, however the camera footage failed to catch the registration number on the car.

Shaun, who works for Yorkshire Ambulance Service and had attended to TV news presenter Dan Walker after his horrific bike crash in Sheffield, was on his way down the Langsett Road North between Wharncliffe Side and Oughtibridge on his cargo bike on Sunday around 1PM.

He told road.cc: “I was heading to the Sheffield Mass Cycle Ride with my 4-year-old son on our Tern GSD. I noticed a ball of something fly past me so checked the cam to find the young gentleman hurling rubbish at me.”

Rule 147 of the Highway Code says that “you MUST NOT throw anything out of a vehicle; for example, food or food packaging, cigarette ends, cans, paper or carrier bags” as it can “endanger other road users, particularly motorcyclists and cyclists”.

> Cyclist hurt after eggs thrown at her by car passenger

However, he said that the camera had a lens cover on and couldn’t grab a clear footage to discern the vehicle’s registration number. Although he said it would’ve felt like “wasting police time”. “Would be nice if the guy watched the video to know what a plank he was,” he added.

He continued: “To be honest neither of us really noticed until after. My son was in his own world so didn’t realise either.”

“I suppose the thing for me is the mentality, what possesses someone to be like that? Was it pre-meditated that he was going to do that as he’d already rolled up a ball of rubbish? I hadn't had any other interaction with them before or after.”

Shaun told road.cc that he had taken Dan Walker in and looked after him after the former BBC Breakfast host had an accident in Sheffield after getting hit by a car driver in February this year. Walker had thanked Shaun twice as he tweeted about his crash and posted photos of his bloodied face from the hospital.

> Motorists blame crash victim Dan Walker for not riding on underpass cycle lane – described by locals as “filled with broken glass”

“Glad to be alive after getting hit by a car on my bike. Face is a mess but I don’t think anything is broken. Thanks to Shaun and Jamie for sorting me out and the lovely copper at the scene,” wrote the Channel 5 presenter, who had taken up cycling last year.

He later added: “Thanks for all your kindness. Jamie & Shaun were so great in the ambulance — not sure I was making much sense.”

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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26 comments

Avatar
Oldfatgit | 11 months ago
8 likes

One of our group was hit in the face by a plastic bottle containing liquid, thrown from an on-coming car.

Despite clear, HD-quality video that showed both the car registration and the bottles trajectory, no prosecution was made of either the driver or passenger.

Police Scotland advised the reason for no prosecution was that "the driver couldn't remember the incident".

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OldRidgeback replied to Oldfatgit | 11 months ago
3 likes

In other words, Police Scotland couldn't be bothered to chase it up.

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Jetmans Dad replied to Oldfatgit | 11 months ago
4 likes
Oldfatgit wrote:

Police Scotland advised the reason for no prosecution was that "the driver couldn't remember the incident".

Is that a thing now ... you can get out of being prosecuted just by not being able to remember an incident there is video footage of happening?

The world truly has gone mad. 

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Hirsute replied to Jetmans Dad | 11 months ago
2 likes
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Fignon's ghost replied to Oldfatgit | 10 months ago
0 likes

Precisely the reason I will never cycle in Scotland. The police are anti cycling.

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Dnnnnnn replied to Fignon's ghost | 10 months ago
1 like
Fignon's ghost wrote:

Precisely the reason I will never cycle in Scotland. The police are anti cycling.

Maybe - but in years of cycling there, i (and similar others I knew) almost never had occasional to deal with them.

I think you might be cutting your nose off to spite your face.

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Fignon's ghost replied to Dnnnnnn | 10 months ago
0 likes

Er. No. I don't think I'll chance it.

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ErnieC | 11 months ago
0 likes

Fancy that - rubbish throwing rubbish!

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Fignon's ghost | 11 months ago
0 likes

It's a tough call. The person throwing the (paper?) missile, looks physically young and there may be learning difficulties. We just don't know enough?

Hopefully this awareness will educate.

Stay safe everybody.

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ErnieC replied to Fignon's ghost | 11 months ago
2 likes
Fignon's ghost wrote:

It's a tough call. The person throwing the (paper?) missile, looks physically young and there may be learning difficulties. We just don't know enough? Hopefully this awareness will educate. Stay safe everybody.

then the parents or adults in the car should exercise some control. 

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mctrials23 | 11 months ago
4 likes

Anyone who intentionally litters should have their gonads forceably removed and people like this should be strung up by them before removal. Astonishing number of scumbags around. 

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Paul J replied to mctrials23 | 11 months ago
7 likes

Agreed.

And said scumbags include moronic road bike riders who think they're being "pro" throwing gel wrappers away. Stick the wrapper in your pocket you muppet!

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Fignon's ghost replied to Paul J | 11 months ago
0 likes

Yes, Paul. I entirely agree. Good point.

So many times you see those godawful gel packs mashed into the tarmac as you ride over them.

2 questions. Are they really necessary in a non pro cycling world?

Why does a cyclist choose to litter them? I'd prefer a banana skin.

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hawkinspeter replied to Fignon's ghost | 11 months ago
2 likes
Fignon's ghost wrote:

Yes, Paul. I entirely agree. Good point. So many times you see those godawful gel packs mashed into the tarmac as you ride over them. 2 questions. Are they really necessary in a non pro cycling world? Why does a cyclist choose to litter them? I'd prefer a banana skin.

I don't mind people using gel packs (though they do seem highly packaged compared to the alternatives), but it's such a simple concept - if you bring something with you, take it back again too or at the very least hang onto it until you reach a bin.

Banana skins are just an accident waiting to happen.

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hawkinspeter replied to mctrials23 | 11 months ago
5 likes
mctrials23 wrote:

Anyone who intentionally litters should have their gonads forceably removed and people like this should be strung up by them before removal. Astonishing number of scumbags around. 

That seems a little harsh. I'd suggest several hours of public service cleaning up other people's rubbish.

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HoldingOn replied to hawkinspeter | 11 months ago
3 likes
hawkinspeter wrote:

That seems a little harsh. I'd suggest several hours of public service cleaning up other people's rubbish.

Your punishment has the added benefit of being applicable to female offenders as well.

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hawkinspeter replied to HoldingOn | 11 months ago
4 likes
HoldingOn wrote:

Your punishment has the added benefit of being applicable to female offenders as well.

Equal opportunity punishments for all

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mctrials23 replied to hawkinspeter | 11 months ago
2 likes

And then the stringing up?

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Hirsute | 11 months ago
0 likes

Not following the bit about a lens cover on - surely that would result in a clip of black ?!

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hawkinspeter replied to Hirsute | 11 months ago
4 likes
Hirsute wrote:

Not following the bit about a lens cover on - surely that would result in a clip of black ?!

A clear protective cover?

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Miller replied to hawkinspeter | 11 months ago
3 likes
hawkinspeter wrote:

A clear protective cover?

That would be it. The bloke was using a 360 cam: they have bulgy lenses which are prone to being scratched so lens covers are available at the cost of reduced sharpness. Which would appear to be a poor choice if number plates are no longer legible to identify twats like the one in the video.

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Hirsute replied to Miller | 11 months ago
2 likes

Thanks both.
A 360 camera does not seem a good idea for reporting as it invites the police dodge that the distortion means they can't judge distances.

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wtjs replied to Hirsute | 11 months ago
5 likes

it invites the police dodge that the distortion means they can't judge distances

Doesn't matter, they have an infinite supply of other dodges which they use to prove that it's impossible for a pass to be too close

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hawkinspeter | 11 months ago
12 likes

Pity the car wasn't identified, but that's how it goes sometimes (and why it can help to have a front and rear camera).

If it was identified, I don't think that would have been a waste of police time (assuming they're one of the forces that cares about traffic offences) as too many drivers/passengers think it's acceptable to harrass cyclists, partly due to the ridiculous "culture war" that right-wing media encourages.

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OnYerBike replied to hawkinspeter | 11 months ago
0 likes

There is another complication that the offence in this case was committed by the passenger. Even if the reg was legible, that only identifies the Registered Keeper. For most road traffic offences the Keeper can be compelled to supply the driver's details under S172, but that wouldn't be relevant here - it does not extend to identifying passengers nor to offences that aren't road traffic offences (i.e. wouldn't cover littering nor assault, even if they happened to be carried out from a vehicle, as far as I can tell).

Obviously if you've identified the car (and registered keeper), and had a good photo of the offender, it probably would be fairly straightforward detective work to identify them from the Keeper's friends/family - but even that is a step up in actual police resources. 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to OnYerBike | 11 months ago
3 likes
OnYerBike wrote:

There is another complication that the offence in this case was committed by the passenger. Even if the reg was legible, that only identifies the Registered Keeper. For most road traffic offences the Keeper can be compelled to supply the driver's details under S172, but that wouldn't be relevant here - it does not extend to identifying passengers nor to offences that aren't road traffic offences (i.e. wouldn't cover littering nor assault, even if they happened to be carried out from a vehicle, as far as I can tell).

Obviously if you've identified the car (and registered keeper), and had a good photo of the offender, it probably would be fairly straightforward detective work to identify them from the Keeper's friends/family - but even that is a step up in actual police resources. 

The driver is generally held responsible for the actions of their passengers, so they could just identify the driver and give them some grief.

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