Free dashcams helping to crack down on illegal driving across Cornwall and Devon
170 are being given away to businesses as part of Operation Snap
170 dashcams are being given away to businesses across Cornwall and Devon to crack down on illegal driving.
It's part of operation snap that encourages people to upload footage to police.
Organisations including South West Water, Live West and the RNLI have already signed up to the scheme, which has been jointly funded by National Highways and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Since the start of Operation Snap in Devon and Cornwall in 2019, more than 1,300 dangerous drivers have been prosecuted.
In the first six months of 2021, Devon and Cornwall Police received 779 submissions through the operation, of which 408 cases saw notices of intended prosecutions issued and 144 cases resulted in an official police warning.
Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, is also the National Road Safety Lead for the APCC and chairman of the Vision Zero South West board.
Commissioner Hernandez said: “This is a fantastic project that I hope will have a significant impact on road safety in Devon and Cornwall.
“We have specifically chosen the organisations involved to receive these cameras as they operate vehicles which regularly travel on some of the most problematic roads across the South West.
“This gives us 170 extra pairs of eyes on our roads to capture dangerous drivers and take action against them through Devon and Cornwall Police’s Op Snap initiative.
“With more people watching, the chances of bad drivers getting caught will increase. I hope this makes motorists more alert and, in turn, will make our roads safer for everyone.”
The project's been flagged up during a special road safety convoy along the M5 today after a string of fatal crashes.
Cornwall Council's part of the Vision Zero Partnership - that organised the event.
Vision Zero is a shared commitment between a number of organisations across Devon and Cornwall working to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries in the region to zero.
Emergency services' convoy to travel A38 and M5 after rise in fatal crashes in south-west.
Mark Cartwright, Head of Commercial Vehicle Incident Prevention at National Highways, said: “I am extremely pleased to be working with Devon & Cornwall Police and Vision Zero South West on this initiative which aims to improve safety for all by shining a light on poor driver behaviour, such as close following, undertaking, dangerous driving in the South West.
“This initiative also aims to raise awareness of Operation Snap and encourage motorists to consider their driving behaviour.
“We are confident that, working together with our road safety partners, this initiative will help widen our safety messages to drivers and raise awareness that those who engage in high-risk behaviours can expect to be spotted and, if an offence has been committed, action will be taken by our enforcement partners.”