A cyclist has been identified as one of the leading measures of catching hundreds of motorists breaking road rules by sending clips to the police.
The cyclist, named Tim, consistently sends clips to West Midlands Police and has resulted in a number of motorists being prosecuted.
Tim, who is a cycling instructor, began sending clips to the police after stating that he “had enough” of people flouting the rules.
People like Tim have helped police forces in England and Wales issue thousands of warnings and fines to drivers across the country.
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Around 150,000 clips of bad driving are sesnt to police forces every year, with an estimated 90 per cent of these resulting in motorists being sanctioned.
Many of these videos are shot by cyclists using helmet cameras, while footage from dash cams and mobile phones has also led to more prosecutions for dangerous driving.
According to the Government’s sentencing guidelines, motorists can be handed between three and 11 penalty points on their licence if they are found to be driving dangerously.
These codes must stay on a driving record for four years from the date of the conviction, compared to 11 years for drink driving convictions.
As a result of Tim sending West Midlands Police footage for three years, the force has now set up Operation Snap to catch more dangerous drivers.
Operation Snap has been set up to collate footage of anyone committing driving offences on roads which they want to send to West Midlands Police. This includes:
- Dangerous driving
- Using a mobile phone while driving
- Not wearing a seatbelt
- Failing to stop at a red traffic light
- Using a trailer in lane three of a motorway
- Crossing solid white lines
- Other offences where a driver is clearly not in proper control of a vehicle
Every piece of footage is reviewed by specially-trained staff and can lead to the prosecution of a motorist. They could also be told to take a driver improvement course.
Speaking to the BBC, Tim said: “As a cyclist, you’re always having to move out of the way and when a vehicle’s too close it can strike you.
“I’ve been hit several times – cars have actually hit me. When I was younger, I broke my leg and went to hospital.”
He claims all of his videos have led to police action, saying that the most common penalty is an education course, which he described as “the most appropriate thing”.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Dash cams are becoming more common across the UK
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Sgt Stephen Evans, of West Midlands Police, added: “I think people are getting more aware of the poor standards of driving in the West Midlands area and people know now there’s a place they can report it to and the police will take action.”
He noted how the most serious offence was when a driver performed a U-turn on the A38 coming off Spaghetti Junction, with four lanes of traffic on either side.
