They’ve been dragged under the wheels of vehicle trailers, verbally abused and left injured on the side of the road.

No we’re not talking about the fate of wild animals but the harsh daily reality faced by many cyclists in Britain today.

And the hostile relationship between motorists and keen pedallers is making the road an increasingly dangerous place to be for riders in and around Kent, according to the members of West Kent Road Club in Dartford.

Long-time member Colin Ashcroft told KentOnline: “We don’t drive in the middle of the road to annoy people.

“We do it so we can stay away from the gutters and keep wide enough away from parked cars in case they open their car doors which has caused fatalities in cyclists.”

Club president Laurence Toombs added: “The gutters can be slippery in wet weather or contain debris so we try to keep one metre away.

“And if you see us swerving we are probably trying to avoid potholes.”

But retired Colin, from Bexleyheath, was keen to stress the problem is not all motorists.

“Some give you loads of space, but it’s the odd one that doesn’t,” he explained.

And he said it is worse during rush hour when people have places to be.

“They don’t really want to be delayed and that’s when the problems happen,” the 61-year-old says.

Laurence added: “We don’t want them behind us as much as they don’t want to be behind us.”

The 61-year-old cyclist said he has been verbally abused by drivers complaining about something another ride in front of him had done, who he didn’t even know.

“You wouldn’t moan at another motorist for something someone else did wrong,” he said.

“There are cyclists who don’t always follow the rules of the road and those that do. The same as with drivers.”

And he said wherever possible, cyclists will always try to find somewhere to pull over to let a driver pass.

As you might expect, when a crash occurs between a vehicle and a bike, it's the cyclist who is most likely to be injured.

Cycles and motorcycles make up just 2.75% of miles travelled compared to cars but account for more than one-quarter of road deaths, according to research from the AA.

In March, Martin Walczak, from Tenterden, died after being knocked off his bike by a car door in a freak accident still under police investigation.

The 65-year-old tried to avoid it but fell and was hit in the jaw and neck by the bottom of the door.

He suffered a “nasty gash” close to his carotid artery and died days later from a brain haemorrhage.

Retired pharmaceutical worker Laurence was himself seriously injured after being involved in a hit and run in Main Road, Longfield on May 1 as the West Kent Road Club cycled to an Italian deli in Kemsing.

The accident was less than a mile from one he had been involved in on the same road seven years before.

He was left with a suspected broken arm, suspected broken shoulder and a fractured thumb when a trailer being pulled by a Range Rover clipped him as it overtook him on a bend.

His bike was dragged six yards under the wheels of the trailer and Laurence was left concussed on the pavement as the car drove off.

Laurence was wearing SPD pedals which keep his feet attached to the bike but luckily they easily release.

“Otherwise I would have been under the wheels too,” he added.

In the event of an accident, Laurence has a cycle computer which has an incident alert so should a sudden stop happen to the bike it informs his son and daughter.

Within minutes he received calls from both.

“I don’t remember though,” he said. “I must have had concussion as my friends say I wasn’t talking any sense.”

His daughter came to collect him from the hospital where he was taken by ambulance.

“I was thankful she only had to pick me up rather than identify my body; It was that close,” he said.

In a previous accident he was caught by a car on a mini roundabout at the junction of Main Road and Ash Road in Longfield.

But neither has put him off.

“It’s not going to stop me cycling, he said. “Although I think I might be jinxed on that road.

“I try not to think about the incident and the other close calls. I miss cycling as I have to wait for my injuries to heal.”

Laurence started cycling after deciding to get fit by riding his bike the eight miles to work almost 30 years ago.

After their president’s accident the club invested £750 in two cameras to help prosecute drivers who are not driving carefully.

On the very first ride it was used, a car was caught overtaking the group riding single file through Hextable, on the wrong side of a traffic island.

But the Dartford resident said it doesn’t have to be this way.

According to him, driving in Europe is a completely different experience as the relationship between motorists and cyclists is much less hostile.

“It is miles better cycling over there,” he said. “The roads are much, much better. The way the insurance works the driver has to prove the cyclist is at fault so they keep well away.

“Cycling is also much more popular and well-received over there.

“The drivers are much more tolerant and the infrastructure is better as they have off-road cycle lanes.”

Back in 2020, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a keen cycler himself, launched ambitious plans to make England “a great walking and cycling nation”.

Gear Change, a report proposed the same year, set out aims to improve streets for cycling and people, putting riding and walking at the heart of decision-making and “enabling people to cycle and protecting them when they do”.

But, according to Cycling UK, a chairty supporting cyclists and promoting bicycle use, the vision was not backed up with sufficient funding.

A suggestion to change insurance policies to align with European directives of “presumed liability”, which is the legal presumption made in civil law that injured cyclists and pedestrians are entitled to compensation from drivers who hit them unless the victim was obviously at fault, have proved unsuccessful in recent years.

Monica Scigliano, senior policy officer at Cycling UK, said: “Even among experienced cyclists, the biggest barrier to getting on a bike is not feeling safe enough.

“If we want cleaner air, fewer carbon emissions, and healthier communities, we need to enable more people to cycle – which means we need to make the roads safer.

“To do that, we need quality infrastructure such as segregated cycle lanes and safer junctions.”

In Europe, there are even laws stating which hand car drivers must use to open their car door when getting out to avoid accidentally hitting a passing cyclist.

The other danger is the condition of the road surface which mean riders are often forced to deviate from cycling in a straight line to avoid potholes.

Edmund King, director of The AA Charitable Trust, said: “Currently, we often have a vicious circle of: pothole formed; damage caused; pothole patched; pothole reappears with more damage caused - when what we need are more permanent repairs.

“Potholes are the number one concern for 96% of drivers and can be fatal for those on two wheels.”

The West Kent Road Club which has 42 active members, goes on regular rides of up to 50 miles once or twice a week from its base in High Road, Dartford.

They meticulously plan each route to ensure it takes in the least busy roads with the fewest potholes.

And they find country roads far safer than main roads.

Colin, who has been part of the cycle club since he was 12 years old, says the dangers they face mean they can sadly no longer take young riders with them anymore.

“Who would want to be responsible for someone else’s child on these roads?” he said. “What if something happens to them?”