Illegal driving caught on camera in Devon and Cornwall
Op Snap has recorded its highest level of submissions ever
A scheme which allows road users to submit video footage of illegal driving in Devon and Cornwall has recorded its highest level of submissions ever.
Devon and Cornwall Police received 747 videos from the public through Op Snap in August, 418 (56%) of which were the subject of action by police, including:
- 246 Notices of Intended Prosecution (NOIP)
- 172 warnings or words of advice
A third of August’s Op Snap submissions (244) were from cyclists, with 147 (60%) of these being subject of action from police.
Vision Zero South West, the road safety partnership covering Devon and Cornwall, has released a selection of video clips to highlight the variety of offences which can be dealt with via Op Snap.
The video features several dangerous overtaking manoeuvres, near misses, a driver jumping a red light and one motorist swerving across two lanes on the A38 near Plymouth – an offence which was captured on an iPad by a rear seat passenger.
Adrian Leisk, Head of Road Safety for Devon and Cornwall Police and chair of Vision Zero South West’s enforcement group, said: “It has been a very busy summer for Op Snap, with the number of submissions hitting record levels and consistently increasing over the past three months.
“While it is clearly worrying that so many instances of dangerous driving are being witnessed on our roads, it’s encouraging that members of the public are coming on board with this campaign and submitting footage of poor driving. We are so grateful for the public’s support in addressing a real issue of concern. We have 13,670 miles of road network and cannot be everywhere, but you are.
“Thanks to your efforts, we have been able to take action against 8,586 drivers which help to deter such behaviour in the future. These drivers would have escaped prosecution without this partnership with responsible road users. We want drivers to think twice before making that risky decision.
“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 2022, 48 people were killed and 738 were seriously injured on Devon and Cornwall’s Roads.
Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, is chairman of Vision Zero South West.
Commissioner Hernandez 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.”