'Drivers don't realise that their vehicles are weapons'

Robbie Griffiths goes out on the road with cycling avengers Jeremy Vine and Mike van Erp as they film motorists on phones

- Robbie Griffiths

I WOULD say only about 50 per cent of drivers in London are terrible,” says Jeremy Vine when I meet him near Oxford Circus. “The rest are quite good.” We’re talking about cars because as well as being one of Britain’s most famous broadcasters, the keen cyclist is also known for his hobby — policing the roads with a camera on his helmet. With his friend “CyclingMikey”, real name Mike van Erp, Vine is part of a wave of cyclists taking London road safety into their own hands. While the rest of us shout a few profanities at bad drivers, Vine et al film them, and send the evidence to the police.

Vine posts his footage on social media, editing it himself to point out the worst offenders, often vans whizzing too close at high speed, or drivers using their phones at the wheel. Some get angry when they realise they’re being filmed.

The presenter had to go to court when one man “jumped out of a car and threatened to knock me out”. Arguments are common. Vine chuckles, remembering that a black cab driver tried to run him off the road after recognising him.

“I’ve been called a d***, w*****, tosser, c***, there’s a whole list, but it’s all in friendship,” he says. Vine reveals he always has an “escape route” during altercations, adding: “I never get angry, I just hear them out.” He’s now suing Joey Barton for libel after the ex-footballer called him a “bike nonce” online.

Vine and his kind occasionally get into trouble themselves. Cyclist Dave Clifton, who reported a Range Rover driver for using his mobile phone at the wheel in Belgravia, was recently charged by police for riding without due care and attention — though the case was then dropped, and police said sorry to Clifton.