Driver filmed bragging he can use phone safely behind wheel

A cyclist in Scotland has shared a video of himself arguing with a motorist over using a mobile phone at the wheel – just moments before the angry driver rear-ends another car.

The incident, captured on a helmet-mounted camera by cyclist Dave Brennan, began when the driver of a Mercedes A-Class complained about his slow speed. As the two make their way through Glasgow’s morning rush hour, Brennan berates the motorist for using his mobile phone at the wheel.

“It’s people like you that kill people like me,” Brennan tells the offending motorist, before asking him: “Can you drive safely with your mobile phone?” The driver responds: “Yes, I can,” before driving away.

Heavy traffic means Brennan soon catches up with the A-Class, cycling past as the car is stuck at a set of traffic lights. As he passes, he calls out: “Three miles an hour, remember?” – a reference to the motorist’s earlier complaint that Brennan had been cycling along at that speed.

Immediately after, the driver accelerates, but when a Lexus RX in front of him brakes he fails to stop in time – rear-ending the luxury crossover SUV.

The low-speed impact is unlikely to have caused much damage to either vehicle, and Brennan told The Scotsman he didn’t believe the driver was on his phone at the moment of impact, but the irony of the crash wasn’t lost on the internet – with commenters on the original YouTube clip suggesting the driver should have his licence taken away.

The penalty for motorists using a mobile phone while driving is a £200 fine plus six points on their licence, while more serious cases can see them prosecuted for careless or dangerous driving. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents says drivers using a mobile phone are four times more likely to crash, injuring or killing themselves and other people.