Ever wished there was a police officer about when you witness poor or unsafe driving? With Op Snap, you can send them video footage which they will review, just as if they were there.
Police launched Op Snap in February, it is an online portal where people can upload footage of suspected driving offences. Since the launch they have received over 380** uploads of footage. Every single submission is viewed and where the footage shows a traffic offence, action is taken.
Police have put together a video of some of the most dodgy irresponsible driving from the footage we have received so far. The video shows ten examples of bad driving where the consequences could have been disastrous.
Drivers can be seen overtaking against solid white lines, ignoring red traffic lights, overtaking cyclists/motorbikes too close and generally risky, impatient, bad and generally dodgy driving. Four of the drivers received fines and points, five drivers attended a “What’s Driving Us?” course, at a cost of £90.
Police believe education is key in keeping our road users safe. Many drivers, as seen in the video, are simply in too much of a rush. They make risky and careless decisions, they are impatient, and their driving falls below standards that are expected.
Police want every road user to drive or ride as if they are being filmed and as if their bad driving or riding will be caught on camera. Some drivers come under peer pressure to go faster, take risks and drive well below the standard; others just take stupid risks.
Historically, in Lincolnshire, because they weren’t being followed by a police car some drivers/riders would take their chance. No longer….. every road user around them could be filming their poor judgement behind the wheel or on a motorbike.
Those who choose to drive with little concern for their safety or that of others will have that little ‘what if’ seed of doubt in their mind. We hope drivers will think “Will this overtake on a solid white line be filmed and reported by the driver I’m overtaking?”
Police would like to see an increase in submissions and encourage cyclists, horse-riders, drivers, riders of motorbikes to get involved in providing a safer environment for road users in Lincolnshire. Video footage and further information can be found by following the link: Report a driving offence
They receive an average of 80 submissions per month. So far, 21 drivers have attended the “What’s Driving Us ?” course, 14 have been issued with a fixed penalty notice, 16 have received a caution. They have also sent 135 warning letters to let drivers know they have been caught on camera, although, on the occasion filmed, no full offences had been committed.
Out of the 51 drivers who have attended a course, been issued with a fixed penalty notice or received a caution, 38 were men and 13 were women. The age range 20-29 years had the most offenders, with 14 drivers. The highest age range for men is between 40 – 49 years, with 9 offenders and between 20-29 years for women, with 7 drivers.
Types of offences from footage submitted:
- Fail to comply with a lane closure traffic light signal: 3
- Drive without due care and attention: 31
- Fail to comply with a stop sign: 16
- Drive without reasonable consideration: 31
- Fail to comply with a solid white line: 22
- Use a mobile phone while driving: 2
- Stop within a pelican crossing: 2
- Drive while not in proper control: 2
- Fail to comply with a road sign or red light: 5
The footage, all sent in by road users who have used Op Snap, has helped to keep our roads safer.
Marc Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, said:
“Operation Snap is the latest initiative to come out of my Road Safety Summit and it is good to see it going from strength to strength.
“The scheme provides a real and practical opportunity for members of the public to report unlawful and dangerous drivers and help keep their communities and other residents safe.”
Steve Batchelor, Senior Manager at the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership, said:
“We are really pleased to see how Operation Snap is progressing in Lincolnshire, with more and more high quality submissions are reaching us. We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to highlight bad driving and make Lincolnshire’s roads safer.
“I am particularly pleased with the number of submissions from cyclists, helping us to tackle bad driving and a lack of care and consideration. We hope that the message gets out that drivers have a duty to give cyclists space to travel safely and if they do not, there’s a good chance it will be recorded.
“As seen in the video, where appropriate, we think it is beneficial to offer motorists the opportunity to attend a National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme course as an alternative to prosecution. Operation Snap is giving us more opportunities to provide education that helps motorists become safer on the roads.”
Chief Superintendent Paul Timmins, Head of Specialist Operations, said:
“Many of the driving incidents captured could have ended in a very different way, we’re thankful they didn’t. Operation Snap is part of our work to reduce the number of people sadly killed or injured on the county’s roads. It is an easy tool where every road user can contribute to keeping our roads safer. If Op Snap prevents one serious collision then the initiative is worth it.
“The standard that people achieve when they passed their driving test is the standard for drivers. Where they fall below that standard we will take action and where necessary bring offenders to justice. We know that education works for most. I want to see the level of poor driving decrease in Lincolnshire and ask everyone to submit any footage they have where they believe there has been a traffic offence committed.”
The “What’s Driving Us?” course is attended by drivers who have committed offences relating to driving without due care and attention, control or consideration, including tailgating, traffic light and solid white line offences, amongst others. It is an alternative to a fixed penalty notice.
The course aims to increase awareness and understanding of the causes and consequences of risky driving, the importance of observation, concentration and making sure drivers give other road users space and time. Their own driving is discussed to show the reasons it was unsafe or inconsiderate.
A fixed penalty notice carries a fine of £100 and 3 points.
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