Home   Ashford   News   Article

Cyclist Eliza Burton records impatient overtaking driver at Warehorne, Ashford

A girl has described the heart-stopping moment she was nearly caught up in a head-on crash while cycling, because of an impatient driver.

Eliza Burton posted the footage of her five-minute bike ride to the village hall in Warehorne on her YouTube channel.

The 13-year-old Highworth Grammar School pupil had already spotted a car approaching in the opposite direction and had moved over to the left hand side of the road.

Footage shows the impatient driver narrowly missing Eliza.
Footage shows the impatient driver narrowly missing Eliza.

Scroll down for video

But then a zooming white Vauxhall decided to overtake, and very nearly crashed into the oncoming silver car, believed to be an Alfa Romeo.

She said: “It happened very quickly, and I didn’t really have time to think. I was aware that there was a car behind me as I approached a bend, and I thought please let him see me, otherwise there could be a near miss.

“But he decided to overtake and accelerated even faster. He was very close and nearly knocked me off. He overtook me in a ridiculous way.

Video: Helmet camera footage recorded the near miss

“I was trying to stay calm, and trust the driver not to attempt a silly manoeuvre, that’s how we get accidents. I did the best I could to prevent a crash.

“I haven’t been in a near miss car crash before, it was a surprise, but it has made me more aware that this could happen.”

The overtaking car narrowly missed the oncoming car.
The overtaking car narrowly missed the oncoming car.

The impatient driver then continued on its way, leaving Eliza to pull over a little further on to let other cars pass her by.

It comes after another cyclist was injured after being hit by a car in Boys Hall Road in Willesborough this morning.

Eliza said that as a cyclist, she always tries to pull over to let cars pass, so she is not holding up the traffic.

Eliza said the impatient driver nearly caused a head-on collision.
Eliza said the impatient driver nearly caused a head-on collision.

She added: “I would say to the driver overtaking that it’s not worth risking it, if you do crash you could have injured yourself or someone else, or even killed them.

“I just don’t think it’s worth it to overtake when you could cause an accident. Drivers should be more patient, and while it’s perfectly legal for cyclists to be on the road, they can pull over more and not aggravate drivers.”

She said the incident hasn’t put her off getting out on her bicycle, but now she hopes that the footage will raise awareness for both motorists and cyclists to be more careful on the roads.

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More