On 03/05/2013 11:53, CJB wrote:

Labour MP Margaret Hodge accused of flooring cyclist with her car door while talking on mobile phone

* Former children’s minister swung open door into path of overtaking cyclist
* Witness said he saw MP using her mobile phone while opening the door
* Hodge said: 'I was holding my phone but I was not using it’

By RYAN KISIEL and JASON GROVES

PUBLISHED: 00:10, 3 May 2013 | UPDATED: 00:10, 3 May 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ile-phone.html

Labour MP Margaret Hodge has been accused of striking a cyclist with her car door while talking on her mobile phone.
The former children’s minister was canvassing in Barking, East London, when she swung open the door into the path of an overtaking cyclist, who crashed into it.
Witness Paul Ayer, 48, who took the photograph of Mrs Hodge with the cyclist, said he saw the MP using her mobile phone while she was opening the door of the parked car.
Mr Ayer claims Mrs Hodge was using the mobile phone when she opened the door.
He took photographs on his mobile phone of the aftermath and says a man who was with Mrs Hodge and described himself only as a ‘councillor’ suddenly became ‘aggressive’.
Mr Ayer said: ‘I’m sure she had the phone by her head and was on it when she opened the door, but she denies it.
‘I was driving home from work and was just by my house when I could see a car door opening onto the road while a cyclist was about to pass.
‘I was driving towards the vehicle and slowed down because I could already predict there was going to be a collision.
‘The cyclist just slammed into the car and fell into my half of the road. I quickly pulled over and took out my phone to record the incident in case he was seriously hurt.
‘There was damage to his bike, the chain had come off and his light had been smashed with the debris on the road.
‘Margaret was at first shocked and left it to her passenger to check he was not hurt, but was later very apologetic. The cyclist said he was alright and was just a bit shook up.
‘The guy was a real gentleman and accepted it was an accident. A lot of people would have tried to make more of it in today’s compensation culture.'
Although the cyclist was not seriously hurt, his bike was left damaged and broken pieces of its smashed front light were left in the road.
The door to Mrs Hodge’s silver Toyota Prius was warped out of shape due to the impact hitting it back on its hinges.
Mrs Hodge said: ‘It was a very stupid thing to do. I was incredibly apologetic and fortunately the man was not hurt.
'He accepted my apology and we shook hands. I was holding my phone as I got out of the car but I was not using it.’

*Far* be it from me to defend Margaret Hodges, but when was it made an
offence to use a mobile phone whilst sitting in, getting into or getting
out of a car?