Dangerous drivers are being caught on camera and shopped to the police in increasing numbers, with other drivers and the general public having sent more than 100,000 video reports to UK police forces.
The number of reports filed in 2023 increased by 30% compared with the previous year, with more than 33,500 videos submitted to police via the National Dash Cam Safety Portal until the end of November.
About 70% of the submissions lead to police action, ranging from warning letters to penalty points and prosecution.
People in the Midlands and the north appear to have been the biggest adopters of the new reporting method, with about two-thirds of the videos uploaded in 2023 submitted to police in the West Midlands, West Mercia, Warwickshire, Northumberland and South Yorkshire forces.
Most of the footage comes from dashcams, with many cyclists also uploading helmet cam footage, and appears to be increasing public awareness of the risks from offences such as speeding or using a mobile phone at the wheel.
The portal for uploading videos was launched in 2018 by the dashcam firm Nextbase, helping turn drivers into DIY law enforcers. Also known widely as Operation Snap, the system is used by most police forces in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland are considering implementing the system but are yet to do so.
Bryn Brooker, the head of road safety at Nextbase, said the widespread take-up was helping remove dangerous drivers from the roads.
He said: “Over 100,000 uploads to the portal is a significant milestone, but one that only serves to highlight the need for technological solutions to improve road safety.”
An estimated 1,766 people were killed on UK roads in 2022, according to the latest Department for Transport statistics, an average of between four and five people a day.
The road safety charity Brake said initiatives that encouraged the public to support police in tackling dangerous driving were welcome.
Lucy Straker, the campaigns manager at Brake, said: “Today, five people will be killed on our roads, and tomorrow another five won’t make it home to their families. And so on, until we say enough, and start taking responsibility for each other’s safety on the road.”
Many cyclists, who suffer a disproportionately high casualty rate compared with most other road users, have used helmet cam footage to highlight dangerous driving on social media, and cycling groups have heavily backed the use of video reporting to the police.
Sarah Mitchell, the chief executive of Cycling UK, said: “Road crime destroys lives and tears families apart. The public’s appetite for reporting these crimes shows how common dangerous behaviour is on our roads, but also provides police with invaluable evidence.
“It’s vital that every force across the UK puts that evidence to good use to make our roads safer for everyone.”
