Police Are Hunting For Aussie Driver Who Clipped Cyclist And Didn't Stop

Australian police are trying to find the driver responsible for clipping a cyclist and not stopping.

A group of cyclists was heading down a road in Newcastle, according to 7News, and were riding in double file.

A dashcam attached to one of the leaders has captured the moment a vehicle strayed too close to the outside lane and hit one the of riders.

The incident caused the cyclist to tumble to the ground and subsequently set off a chain reaction that saw many other riders hit the deck.

The car that was seen hitting the cyclist reportedly didn't stop to help the cyclists or give them their details.

New South Wales Police has been informed of the incident and will now be investigating. If anyone has information about the hit and run, which is believed to have happened on the weekend, is urged to contact authorities. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt from the collision.

Since footage of the moment hit social media, opinion has been split on who is to blame. Many criticised the driver for being carelessly too close to the lane boundary, especially when there is a group of cyclists.

One person wrote: "Horrendous actions by the car...sure the cyclists were a tad close to the line but can you imagine if that was you getting knocked by a passing car? Horrible."

Another added: "That was deliberate. Whether you agree with the riders riding on the side of the road or not, it's the law to maintain a distance to keep everyone safe."

However, there was also a vocal reaction coming from people who believed the cyclists should be single file, with one Facebook user saying: "Terrible thing to happen but seriously why are they not riding single file this is exactly the reason these accidents happen."

Another wrote: "There's only enough room for one bike that's dangerous riding side by side on the highway. What if it was a truck? The bike rider was pretty close to the white line."

An Aussie cyclist came up with a genius hack to ensure cars kept their distance. The unnamed man was spotted making his way down a road in Brisbane, Australia, with a yellow pool float sticking out of the right-hand side of his bicycle.

Stunned at what he had just witnessed, Alfred Botha took a photo of the bizarre setup and posted it to social media.

According to Queensland legislation, drivers must leave a gap of at least a one metre between their vehicle and a cyclist, when driving in zones with a speed limit of 60km/hr or less.

When the speed limit is above this, the gap must be increased to 1.5 metres.

However, according to Mr Botha, the noddle didn't quite have the desired effect and actually became a hindrance for other drivers.

Speaking to the Daily Mail Australia, he said: "Unfortunately for the bloke [the noodle] didn't work. The noodle stuck out too far to the right and if he tried to turn [a corner] he'd end up blocking the vehicles trying to drive straight on.

"It was more of an obstruction than anything else."

Featured Image Credit: 7News

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie