Police have appealed for witnesses after a road-rage driver deliberately ran over a man following a minor collision between their cars.
Scotland Yard said the 36-year-old was recovering in hospital from “serious” injuries.
The force said his BMW was involved in a “minor collision” with a foreign-plated Vauxhall Zafira at Gallows Corner Roundabout in Romford, east London, around 4.35pm on Saturday.
A passenger in the Vauxhall smashed the victim’s rear window with a hammer before the driver ploughed into the victim as he stood by his BMW, officers said.
He was thrown onto the bonnet and fell onto the road but did not sustain life-threatening injuries. He is undergoing treatment in hospital
It comes as a survey of 3,000 UK road users found 18 per cent said they had been threatened with physical violence on the road.
Some 11 per cent of road users were involved in a physical altercation while half of road users (53 per cent) – including motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, runners or wheelchair users – had been or felt intimidated while on the roads.
The poll, carried out by Maru and Usurv and commissioned by Auto Trader, also found 67 per cent had experienced tailgating and 41 per cent claimed they had been sworn at or insulted.
Auto Trader has launched a campaign called #SwearToChange aimed at sparking a constructive debate on road equality.
The campaign has been supported by double Olympic gold medal winning cyclist and jockey Victoria Pendleton and British Paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman.
Pendleton said: “We all have an equal right to be on the road, so let’s be more compassionate and considerate to others and see what change we can drive.”
Her words were echoed by Steadman, who said: “I am someone who spends a lot of time running, cycling and driving on UK roads, so it’s alarming to see the statistics on aggression, physical violence and abuse.
“With changes in infrastructure and more people taking up cycling and running, there’s no better time to challenge these attitudes and #SwearToChange.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
