A passenger on the way to the hospital abruptly in a Lyft was caught on camera attacking his driver for navigating through New York City too slowly.

Video from driver Eduardo Madiedo’s car camera shows a man and woman entering his vehicle in Queens, New York on Thursday. Both passengers were on their way to Mount Sinai Hospital.

The man appeared to be in distress, moaning and laying down in the back seat.

Eventually, he took off his shirt and started giving irrational directions to Mr Madiedo, demanding he drive faster and dangerously to cut through traffic.

In response to the behaviour, Mr Madiedo told the passenger "Excuse me man, if you're going to be disrespectful, I'll just pull over right now."

The passenger then began attacking Mr Madiedo from behind, lashing out at his head and attempting to climb into the front seat. The woman put her arm up to stop him, but could not hold back her companion.

Mr Madiedo pulled the car over, and the passenger struck him one more time before he and the woman ran off.

Mr Madiedo told New York 4 that he was not seriously injured in the attack.

"I just felt like, less than human almost," he said. "I feel like I have to look for a new job or a new form of income," he said.

Police are currently looking for the attacker.

Lyft has faced criticism since its start for its lack of safety precautions for both drivers and passengers. Earlier this month, Lyft and Uber drivers went on strike ahead of Uber's IPO filing, citing companies' payments and labour practices.