Reporting mobile use while driving

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MattDB

Über Member
Just got a mail back about the first one on here


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9GVhG7QVfo

How did you find out they were uninsured?
 
Looks like I'm going to have to get a Go Pro or something of that ilk!
I've had a few run ins with idiots in cars, one woman in a 4x4 almost creamed me whilst going round a round a bout ( she came from the road to me left in front of me at great speed, I managed to break and swerve) I go a "wheeeeee!" As she passed 1ft from my face thru the open window, and a "you wanna be more careful!" I got the last laugh as I caught her up in the morning school run traffic, took a picture of her number plate and straightened her on the Highway Code, she has avoided this route ever since thankfully.
I've been cycling on roads for about 34 years, and only been knocked off once, but I've seen countless idiots, on an almost daily basis, if getting a go pro and sending the evidence to the police can help correct a few attitudes, as well as the more obvious uses, then I'll be looking to pick something up soon
 

andyfraser

Über Member
Location
Bristol
Sorry to resurrect this old thread but it came up when I was searching for some information.

@Bewar3them00n @benb My advice is don't both with a cam for the small things and don't both reporting it to the police. I caught a lorry driver on cam this morning using a mobile phone. I took two stills from the video. In one the number plate is clear. In the other it obvious that he's using a phone. The police aren't interested. They say the courts won't accept photos and video taken by members of the public. I think this is a disgrace. I'm starting to understand why people upload their videos to YouTube. It's incredibly frustrating when you feel like you're the only person who actually wants safe roads and law abiding road users.
 

benb

Evidence based cyclist
Location
Epsom
Sorry to resurrect this old thread but it came up when I was searching for some information.

@Bewar3them00n @benb My advice is don't both with a cam for the small things and don't both reporting it to the police. I caught a lorry driver on cam this morning using a mobile phone. I took two stills from the video. In one the number plate is clear. In the other it obvious that he's using a phone. The police aren't interested. They say the courts won't accept photos and video taken by members of the public. I think this is a disgrace. I'm starting to understand why people upload their videos to YouTube. It's incredibly frustrating when you feel like you're the only person who actually wants safe roads and law abiding road users.

That's simply untrue, courts accept evidence like that all the time. It's just that the police in your case can't be arsed.
I'd be complaining to the PCC and the Chief Constable.
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-33407779

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Don't the Police have to record all reports and compile stats?

If they do, even if they do nothing now, wouldn't an increase in reports raise it up their list of priorities?

Even in an area where apparently anti-social and dangerous road use were a local neighbourhood priority this behaviour,

was dismissed without investigation because the video was not considered independent evidence (the relevant police unit didn't even watch it and dismissed the allegation unseen).

This attitude stems from advice that the Northamptonshire Deputy Chief Constable Suzette Davenport gave in 2012 to the then ACPO over concerns about a specific company collating video evidence. She conflated several issues, police forces applied the advice to cover a much wider range of circumstances and pretty much overnight helmetcam evidence became less than worthless. It could in fact be used to dismiss an allegation that reported otherwise would result in an investigation.

The situation has improved with many police forces in the last couple of years, but it doesn't surprise me that individual police forces, units or officers still use that erroneous advice to the defunct ACPO as a justification to avoid addressing this issue. Even if the local panel has raised such offences as being a priority. After several high profile prosecutions for 'minor', non-injury offences being covered in the national press it should now be easier to challenge such attitudes blocking attempts at prosecution.
 
I thought old bill said THEY had to witness it, it seems different forces have different rules and I suspect they are loath to grant cammers a pseudo-crime-detecting role.
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
As an ex police officer I would have used it, even if it was to ring the owner up and question the driving.

This in itself can raise problems if headcam footage is not allowed in your force as evidence. But it was an awful piece of driving.
 
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