Devon and Cornwall Police use dashcam footage to combat dangerous driving

The driver of this car overtaking in Truro was caught on dashcam and fined £811 and six penalty points. Credit: Devon and Cornwall Police

Devon and Cornwall Police has come up with a new way to combat dangerous and bad driving. It has asked members of the public to send in dashcam footage when they notice someone breaking the law.

So far hundreds of drivers have been prosecuted as a direct result of the police receiving such footage.

The force has released dramatic video showing some of the worst incidents caught on camera, ranging from near misses to dangerous overtaking manoeuvres.

  • Watch the dashcam showreel of dangerous incidents

All of the incidents were recorded by members of the public on cameras mounted in their own cars - or cycles - and submitted to the police through Operation Snap.

Operation Snap is a secure online facility that allows submissions of video and photographic evidence relating to driving incidents that members of the public have witnessed.

Since it began in July 2019, 1,198 submissions have been received by Devon and Cornwall Police. Of these, 631 drivers have had action taken against them, whether that is a court summons, points and a fine, a driver education course or warning letter, with a further 97 currently under investigation.

This motorcyclist was fined £50 after being filmed riding on the pavement in Plymouth. Credit: Devon and Cornwall Police

The majority of prosecutions are for drivers not paying due care and attention to other road users, but also include using a mobile phone at the wheel, driving through a red light and crossing solid white lines.

Insp Simon Jenkinson from Devon and Cornwall Police says the scheme has been extremely successful. He says, "I know that some will say this is about the public doing our job for us but many people will appreciate we can't be everywhere all the time."

Insp Jenkinson continues, "We all have an overarching responsibility to promote road safety and to behave proportionately on the roads and now we've got an option where we can look at the footage and we can take action against people where necessary and hold people accountable for their actions.

"What I would say to people though is, if you do have a dashcam, I don't want them chasing down other drivers and adopting a vigilante approach. Just rely on the camera to do its job. If it records the footage, submit it through the portal and we'll take it from there."

This motorist careering past people in the road in Torbay was fined £569 and docked five penalty points for driving without due care. Credit: Devon and Cornwall Police

Police are hoping that releasing the videos online will encourage more people to come forward with footage of their own.

For more information or to submit dashcam footage, click here