Dangerous driving caught in "shocking" footage
More than 5,000 drivers were caught on dashcam across Devon and Cornwall as part of Op Snap
Last updated 20th Oct 2022
Action has been taken against more than 5,000 drivers who have been caught driving dangerously on Devon and Cornwall's roads.
The Vision Zero South West road safety partnership has released shocking dashcam footage as part of Op Snap. It shows six examples of submissions which have recently been dealt with by police.
They include dangerous overtaking, a car cutting across a cyclist, another car pulling out of a junction without looking and a car jumping a clear red light – as well as other instances of erratic behaviour on the roads.
Supt Adrian Leisk, strategic roads policing lead for Devon and Cornwall, is chairman of Vision Zero South West’s enforcement group.
He says they have hit a major milestone in taking action against 5,000 drivers but added there is clearly still much to do to stamp out poor driving in the region:
"I’m really pleased that the public have come on board with this campaign and continue to submit videos in record numbers. Thanks to their efforts, we have been able to take action against these drivers which should deter such behaviour in the future.
"At the same time, taking action against more than 5,000 motorists shows that there is still much work to be done. More people are using dashcams and helmet cameras than ever before and as the profile of Op Snap continues to increase, it’s increasingly likely that poor drivers will be caught on camera.
"But it’s not getting caught that drivers should be worried about, many of the instances we see could have easily escalated into collisions causing serious and potentially even fatal injuries.
"As active members of the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership, our collective goal is to halve all serious and fatal injuries by 2030 – and then completely."
In 2021, 47 people were killed and 647 people were seriously injured on Devon and Cornwall’s Roads, according to the Department for Transport.
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."
September Op Snap Stats
- 419 total fresh SNAP submissions were received for the police to consider for September 2022 from a variety of sources
- 287 (68%) of these incidents generated positive action by the police
- 187 of those incidents generated Notices of Intended Prosecution (NOIP) to Registered Keepers and other persons to identify the driver following Road Traffic Incidents
- 100 Police Warnings were issued
- 202 (48%) of September’s Operation Snap submissions were from cyclists
- 145 (71%) of reports from cyclists resulted in positive action
Vision Zero is a shared commitment between a number of organisations across Devon and Cornwall. Their aim is to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries in the region to zero.