Cyclist almost knocked off bike by motorist hands headcam footage to the police — and they nearly prosecute HIM
Matt Trevers was stunned when he found out cops considered prosecuting him for foul language when he shouted at driver
THIS CHILLING footage shows the moment a cyclist riding in the middle of the road is almost knocked off his bike by an impatient motorist.
Cyclist Matt Trevers, 27, was left fuming when police refused to prosecute the driver – because they were considering prosecuting him for using foul language when he swore at the passing motorist.
Trevers angered a BMW driver held up behind him – who then swerved to pass him while accelerating dangerously.
The 27-year-old says the driver was so close he nearly unseated him, and passed footage of the incident on to the police.
But he was left stunned when cops decided not to pursue any charges.
Furious about the incident, Trevers said: "It's clear from the footage that not only did the driver break rules of the Highway Code, but that it was deliberate and aggressive.
"I had hoped that at the very least, the driver might have learnt a lesson about safety and reflected on his actions.
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"However, immediately after leaving the station, he uploaded his own footage to YouTube blaming me for the incident.
"He doesn't realise or care that he put me in a lot of danger."
The close call happened as Trevers was making his way along Gloucester Road towards the city centre just after peak hour at 9.30am on March 30 this year.
He said: "In this instance I had to stay wide as I was passing a row of parked cars - imagine the consequences if a door were opened into my path going at around 20mph.
"Riding there means I'm more visible, both to following vehicles and people in the parked cars or on the pavement.
"It discourages overtaking in positions where I'm vulnerable, and gives me a bit more room as a margin of safety if something happens.
'He doesn't realise or care that he put me in a lot of danger'
"He risked a collision with me by overtaking so close and swerving across my path and a head on collision with an oncoming car when he straddled the centreline."
When Trevers passed his headcam footage onto police, they initially told him they would be investigating the incident.
But after six months of hearing nothing, he was informed no charges were being brought against either party.
He said: "After I initially asked for a review of the decision, I had a fairly unfriendly call from an officer, in which he mentioned that it wasn't in the public interest to prosecute me for my 'offence'.
"It wasn't an official warning, but there seemed to be an implied threat that he could."
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police confirmed the incident was reported to them and investigated.
They said: "No action was taken against the car driver as there was insufficient evidence to support the offence of driving without due care and attention.
"Officers also decided not to take action against the cyclist for his use of bad language.
"Subsequently the cyclist made a formal complaint about the lack of action from officers, which has been investigated by the force's professional standards department.
"It was confirmed that the criminal allegation did not meet the threshold for prosecution and a detailed response has been provided to Mr Trevers, who may appeal the decision if he is not satisfied.
"We encourage all road users to treat each other with courtesy and follow the recommendations of the Highway Code."
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