BIKER NEWS -- A biker who was 'happy slapped' by a passing car driver during rush-hour traffic caught the shocking incident ...
BIKER NEWS -- A biker who was 'happy slapped' by a passing car driver during rush-hour traffic caught the shocking incident on camera.
The struck student has released this footage to shame the driver in case he pulls another move like this again.
Sam Chapman, 23, had his head knocked back by the Range Rover driver's hand - and believes if he had been travelling faster could have broken his neck.
The biker, who was riding a scooter at the time, did an immediate u-turn andconfronted the thug to tell him the whole shocking incident had been captured by own helmet camera.
Sam stopped his scooter in front of the car and challenged the driver about his actions - but the driver only boasted about recording the assault on his dash-cam.
The video production student had been filtering past standstill north-bound trafficwhen the attack occurred on Kew Bridge, in Richmond upon Thames.
'Happy slapping' involves the perpetrator filming them or a friend assaulting the victim while someone records it hiding behind the camera - but in this case it turned out Sam was also recording it and caught the attacker's face.
Sam posted the startling footage on his YouTube channel Ride London and said he hoped it would alert others to the dangers two-wheeled road users faced in the capital.
He said: "It left me feeling really shaken. I wasn't doing anything wrong and to be hit unexpectedly like that; it felt like I had been in a car crash."
"There was nothing to provoke it," he said. "If it wasn't for the fact that I was slowing down myself - because I saw the Range Rover driving aggressively - he could have broken my neck.
"It really annoyed me that the guy thought he could just get away with it and drive off. It's so dangerous to do that to someone on a bike.
"I was completely on my side of the road when he hit me. I had been filtering past the traffic, but there is nothing illegal about that.
"I was actually letting him past. I am not in the wrong. I've given him space and got slapped as a thank you.
"I crossed a broken white line on the right hand lane, which is entirely allowed as long as it's safe to do so. Solid white lines can't be crossed, but that wasn't the case here.
"I still had another 15 minutes drive ahead of me to get home. I was really on edge because of this. My face and neck were pretty sore but luckily I don't have any lasting injuries."
In the two-minute clip, Sam can be seen driving across the bridge in at around 6.05pm, before a flailing arm emerges from the Range Rover in heavy traffic going the opposite direction.
The camera, attached to the front of Sam's scooter helmet, clearly captures the attack, before he changes direction and addresses the assailant face-to-face.
Sam, who lives in Ealing, west London, said: "Filtering is a very common practice for scooter riders in London. It's like dicing with death sometimes.
"I could see that this Range Rover was driving impatiently. He's got a cyclist to his left but there's still loads of space.
"He's being erratic and trying to see past a bus. But the last thing I expected was to get hit. He flicked his wrist and it was pretty forceful.
"I reported it to police who said it was common assault but I've decided not to press charges.
"The police have taken the car's details and they'll monitor it in future.
"My conversation with him was pretty heated. I asked what the hell was wrong with him, and did he think that was an acceptable way to drive.
"He was saying he'd caught me on camera, but I'm not sure why he pointed that out. He's basically filmed himself assaulting me.
"I made it clear that I had caught him on camera and would be posting the video online so everyone could see what he'd done wrong."
"I wasn't going to do anything but my dad and my mates told me it was pretty shocking so I put it online," he continued. "Hopefully it will highlight how dangerous the roads are for bikers and cyclists in London.
"If a Range Rover driver makes an error, they're protected by a giant steel box. If I make an error, I'm going to get hurt. But this wasn't an error; he's just hit me for no reason."
The Metropolitan Police confirmed they were aware of the incident, which happened on October 20, but had not made any arrests.
This article was first published on 9 NOV 2015
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