He said the driver of the Fiat 500 could also be described as using his car as a weapon and so may have also committed a dangerous driving offence.
He added that Van Erp’s behaviour may also constitute a dangerous cycling offence even though he was not seated on his bike when it was pushed into the car.
The aftermath of the collision.Credit: YouTube
“He is controlling the bike, so it is legally cycling. As a result, he may be guilty of dangerous cycling,” he said.
“He could be seen as using his bike as a weapon as part of any dangerous driving charge because it falls below the standard of a competent and prudent cyclist.
“He can’t say: ‘The car shouldn’t be there so I’m entitled to do it.’ He will say he has used his bike to stop an offence. But, in so doing, he has risked injury to himself and the driver, who had a child in the car.
Loading
“He would argue that he has a legitimate cause. But he has no legal status to police traffic and may be causing an obstruction on a highway.
“Cycling Mikey may not realise that by pushing the bike, he is in fact cycling because he is in control of it, in the same way you’re legally driving if you’re sitting in a car and it’s freewheeling while the engine is off.”
Although police are investigating the incident, it is understood they require a complaint to be made by someone who considers themselves a victim before they can consider taking matters further.
Van Erp, who denies throwing the bike but did want to block the motorist, has posted on social media that he had not reported the incident, adding that he “couldn’t … brake a 28-kilogram e-bike once I realised the driver wasn’t stopping”.
He said he believes the motorist’s vehicle sustained a scratch in the collision, something he claims stemmed from the driver using his vehicle as a weapon.
Freeman added: “The police have a legal obligation to pursue any offences here.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “We are aware of footage circulating on social media which appears to show an incident on Paddenswick Road, Hammersmith, on Sunday, August 10. No arrests have been made at this stage.”
Van Erp, who has more than 35,000 followers on his X account, regularly films drivers he claims are breaking road rules, such as using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel.
Loading
He says since 2019, he has reported 2280 drivers, who have received a total of £165,700 ($342,700) in fines and 2649 penalty points.
He claims 35 people have been disqualified from driving because of his actions.
The Telegraph, London
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
