A man has told how a road rage driver accelerated towards him and "knocked him onto the bumper of the car" after stopping to exchange insurance details. Macaulay Rhind claims the fellow motorist then pushed and punched him while standing in a lay-by on Glasgow Road, near Edinburgh Airport, at around 7am on Thursday morning.
The 23-year-old told how he first became aware of a car travelling closely behind him before pulling over into a different lane. He claims the vehicle then attempted to undertake him on a slip road before running out of room and taking out the side of his motor.
Engineer Macaulay told Edinburgh Live that both drivers stopped at the next available lay-by where he asked to swap insurance details. But he said the middle-aged driver suddenly went berserk, shoving him out of the way in an effort to get back to his own car.
When the shaken motorist mentioned he was phoning the police, he said the other driver pushed him again and punched him before fixing his own wing mirror and getting into his vehicle. As Macaulay got through to Police Scotland, he said the driver made a getaway, hitting him with the car causing him to be thrown across the bonnet - still on the phone to police.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live Macaulay explained: "I was driving along Glasgow road heading westbound past the airport at 7am yesterday morning. An aggressive driver was tailgating very close trying to overtake but both lanes were congested.
"Both a car in lane one and I in lane two were driving alongside each other when he came up behind me tailgating aggressively. When we passed the BP garage, I then pulled into lane one, although lane two - the fast lane, still had another vehicle in it as such he could not overtake me.
"He then proceeded into the slip road to try undertake both vehicles, to which he ran out of slip road and ended up taking out the side of my car as he ran out of road and veered into me, destroying the paint and wing mirror."
He continued: "The driver of the Saab then pulled into a lay-by as did I. I then went to assess the damages of the car and ask him for insurance details.
"I then proceeded over to him to talk and as I was standing in front of his car he assaulted me, so then I called the police. He got back into his motor without passing on insurance details and proceeded to accelerate harshly and sharply, putting me onto his bonnet and off the side of his car as he drove off while I was still on the phone to the police."
Police Scotland have confirmed they are investigating.
A force spokesperson said: "Officers were called to a report of a two vehicle crash on Glasgow Road, Edinburgh around 7.20am on Thursday 14 July 2022. One vehicle had left the scene before police arrived, and enquiries into the incident are ongoing."
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