A driver avoids a head-on collision by a matter of inches in shocking new footage released by the police. In the video, a blue van overtakes a car on a country road before pulling back into the left-hand lane, narrowly avoiding an oncoming vehicle.
The car that was overtaken has a dashcam inside, which captures the footage. The driver can also be heard to say 'Jesus!' as the drama plays out in front of them in Woodbury, Devon.
Dangerous overtaking, jumping red lights and driving on pavements are just some of the examples of poor driving highlighted in the latest video from Devon & Cornwall Police’s Operation Snap.
The operation, which allows members of the public to submit dashcam, helmet-cam and mobile phone video footage of poor driving, has now surpassed 10,000 submissions since it was introduced in 2019 – with action being taken against more than 7,000 road users.
In the latest highlight reel, released by the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership, there are also three drivers who mount the pavement in order to get past other vehicles – something which is both illegal and dangerous. Two of these clips were submitted by local recycling services who have cameras operating at 360 degrees around their lorries.
Other clips in the reel show one driver travelling through a red light on the wrong side of the road, and another crossing solid white lines and a hatched area to overtake on the A394 between Rame and Helston in Cornwall.
Adrian Leisk, Devon and Cornwall Police’s head of road safety, said: “The vast majority of road users in Devon & Cornwall are good drivers who behave in a responsible and respectful manner.
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“Sadly there remains a small minority who still think the rules of the road don’t apply to them and continue to drive in an unacceptable and sometimes dangerous way.
“Police officers can’t be everywhere – and the good news is that as dashcam and helmet camera ownership increases, we are now receiving video evidence of thousands of incidents – often within hours of them taking place.
“Op Snap has now surpassed 10,000 submissions, with action being taken against more than 7,000 road users as a result. We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our communities in reducing road harm.
“If you drive dangerously in Devon and Cornwall, there is a very good chance someone will have captured it on camera and will submit that footage to the police. This could lead to you being fined, receiving penalty points or potentially even losing your license – it’s just not worth the risk.”
Alison Hernandez, police and crime commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, is chairman of Vision Zero South West. She said: “When dealing with figures like these it’s important to remember that every single one represents a person who has suffered dramatically as a result of a collision on our roads.
“Whether it’s someone who dies, sustains a brain injury, loses a limb or suffers from the harrowing mental effects of a road traffic collision, the effect this incident has on them – as well as their friends and family – cannot be underestimated.
“The whole purpose of Vision Zero South West is to cut road traffic deaths to zero. All our partners will admit this is an extremely ambitious target but one which needs to be at the forefront of all of our minds.”
