Cyclist spat at and knocked off bike by road rage driver

An appeal for witnesses has been launched as officers from Dorset Police investigate "an incident of road rage" which saw a cyclist knocked from his bike and spat at.

The force says at around 4.45pm last Wednesday (29 March) a man in his 20s was cycling on the A31 towards Ringwood, approaching a temporary lane closure, when the driver of a green or grey Volvo estate "approached at speed and braked heavily, before sounding his horn at the cyclist".

"The cyclist approached the driver of the Volvo, before riding away," a police spokesperson explained.

However, a collision was subsequently reported near the Sainsbury's petrol station in Ferndown involving the driver and the cyclist. While the rider fortunately did not sustain any serious injuries, the driver did get out of his vehicle to spit at the cyclist before leaving the scene.

Described as five feet nine inches tall, of average build with dark messy hair and wearing a navy dark blue bomber jacket, Dorset Police appealed for the driver to come forward.

"I am appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or captured anything of relevance on dashcam footage, to please come forward," Police Constable William Saunders, of East Dorset Police said.

"I would also like to ask the driver of the Volvo to please come forward so we can take your account of what happened."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/contact or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55230048706. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.

Despite the shocking nature of the incident, looking at other 'road rage' reports suggests aggression towards cyclists is far from uncommon. In February, we reported that a Stagecoach driver in Swindon had allegedly left his bus to punch a cyclist to the ground.

Wiltshire Police and the bus company said they would investigate after a witness reported the driver becoming "impatient" at a cyclist and 11-year-old son not using a cycle lane.

A month earlier a video of a driver confronting a cyclist went viral when the motorist forgot to apply the handbrake, causing his argument to be briefly halted to stop his car rolling away.