Warwickshire Police has applauded cyclists and other road users, such as horse riders and pedestrians for submitting video footage of motorists using a handheld device while driving, also saying that it’s an encouraging sign that people are taking charge in standing up for road safety and helping the police enforce it.
Through its Operation Snap, the police force encourages members of the public to report and submit digital footage showing potential moving traffic offences, including mobile phone driving. In the last year, Warwickshire police received 152 dashcam, headcam or phone videos of drivers suspected of illegally using a mobile phone.
However, the offences are not just limited to mobile phone driving, people can also report dangerous or careless driving such as overtaking on solid white lines, or ignoring traffic lights or dangerous driving around other road users, such as horse riders and cyclists.
Sergeant Chris McSharry said “It is really encouraging to see the public taking responsibility for road safety by submitting moving footage of these dangerous drivers to us via Op Snap.
“Let’s be clear. Good drivers are good because they are completely focused on the road. If you are on your phone whether handsfree or not, you are far less likely to notice unexpected things like a child stepping off the pavement.
“This is why officers are always on the lookout for dangerous drivers and in 2023, 479 drivers received fixed penalty notices for using a handheld mobile phone whilst driving in Warwickshire.”
Research by The Open University and Roads Policing Academic Network, funded by the Road Safety Trust, has found that a driver using a handheld or a handsfree phone is four times more likely to be involved in a collision than an undistracted driver, can look at hazards but fail to actually see them, can take up to a second longer to react to hazards, and is far less likely to notice hazards even if they happen right in front of them.
The force also shared a number of instances of the offences on its website, with the drivers receiving a £200 fine and a 6-point penalty on their driving licence.
This isn’t the first time that the police have encouraged third-party reporting from cyclists and other road users. Discussing the matter on Channel 5 News, West Mercia Police’s PC Jim Roberts claimed that the police is rather keen on more people reporting traffic offences.
“By the general public submitting dashcam footage to us and then those drivers being dealt with, it’s sending a message and it is making our roads safer,” he said.
Figures shared with Channel 5 showed that over 33,000 videos were submitted to police in England and Wales last year, up by 21 per cent on 2022, and an increase by almost 300 per cent over 2020. 70 per cent of these reports have led to police action, the broadcast said.
Figures shared with Channel 5 showed that over 33,000 videos were submitted to police in England and Wales last year, up by 21 per cent on 2022, and an increase by almost 300 per cent over 2020. 70 per cent of these reports have led to police action, the broadcast said.
However, there have been a few cases when capturing footage of mobile phone-using drivers has gone wrong. The most obvious examples that come to mind are those from CyclingMikey’s catalogue, with the Dutch cycling activist having been admonished many times by enraged drivers for filming them on the roads of London.
Besides being called a snitch, he’s also been threatened with having his teeth broken, rained with abuse — both physical and online, and even been invited by a driver inside his car to “w*** him off”. He’s also been accused of supporting Chelsea football club, although we’re not too sure if that deserves to be on the list.
Speaking to road.cc after targeted harassment online, the cyclist, real name Mike van Erp, shared a couple of reasons why camera cyclists face abuse. “In the UK cyclists are considered by society to be ‘cockroaches of the road’, unworthy scum who freeload on the public highway and are terrible lawbreakers,” he said. “For such a person to challenge a driver for lawbreaking is a massive affront to the social order, and people don’t like this.
“Many of those throwing abuse also feel that they have the right to drive how they want, and that nobody can tell them what to do. They see the prosecutions, and they are afraid of the consequences, and they are angry that someone dares to do this to them.”
But such cases are not just limited to Mikey, nor does the harassment just come from drivers and the anti-cycling brigade.
Just a couple of months ago, a cyclist was accused of “riding without due care and attention” and was set to be prosecuted by the Metropolitan Police, after he rode in the “middle of the road” to capture footage of a driver using her phone. The driver, meanwhile, received a police “advisory letter” but faced no criminal case.
Fortunately for the cyclist, the Met ended up apologising for any “stress and inconvenience” caused a week later, with the case against him also being dropped just one day before the trial was supposed to take place.
40 thoughts on ““It’s really encouraging to see the public taking responsibility for road safety”: Police force praises cyclists and other road users for reporting mobile phone-using drivers”
I look forward to a time when
I look forward to a time when the gov will give police enough money to do the job their supposed to do instead of relying on grasses.
What would you do if you knew
What would you do if you knew a rapist was living next door?
I’d report it, I’d also
I’d report it, I’d also report anyone that showed tendencies towards rape too. As a citizen, it’s my job and responsibility to report anyone that I believe might go on to commit a serious crime.
“Grasses”? Are you twelve or
“Grasses”? Are you twelve or something?
Cool that you pick up on the
Cool that you pick up on the flippant use of grass and not the underfunding of police as being the problem. Say so much for the intelligence of the population.
Underfunding of public
Underfunding of public services is always going to be an issue. Even with additional funding, the police cannot monitor drivers 24/7. AI cameras aside, the best way to get optimal coverage is to encourage others to report illegal activities.
Going on the KSI statistics, I’d sooner be referred to as a grass than to know I’d allowed someone to be killed because I’d kept quiet.
imagine the reaction if gov
imagine the reaction if gov said that they wanted cameras everywhere to control lawnessness, much easier to convince the public that they are the upholders of the law, especially given their training. A good few Peelers out there, a good few high profile convictions and just watch behaviour change. Go Pros consigned to the crap video making for Youtube drawer.
The police will always rely
The police will always rely on the public to report crimes – do you describe anyone reporting any sort of crime as a grass?
Don’t forget their insurance
Don’t forget their insurance will double or even triple for the next few years.
Especially gutting for the distracted drivers of expensive range rovers…
so theyll just add driving
so theyll just add driving without insurance to their list of misdemeanours
Don’t forget their insurance
Don’t forget their insurance will double or even triple for the next few years
Sergeant Chris McSharry said “It is really encouraging to see the public taking responsibility for road safety by submitting moving footage of these dangerous drivers to us via Op Snap
There must be uncontrolled hysterical laughter at this stuff at all the outposts of Lancashire Constabulary, where OpSnap Lancs is just a quick route to the bin and there are never any responses to reports, and never any action
Flipping brilliant! Well done
Flipping brilliant! Well done Warks Police, a role model to other forces. There is bound to be kick back from some who believe that the rights of the entitled motorist are sacrosanct and that this stance by the police is unfounded as entitled motorists/incompetent chancers (delete to suit your preference) can do no wrong, whilst vulnerable road users, especially cyclists, are to blame for societal breakdown. What a result!!!
I still don’t get why so many
I still don’t get why so many people are holding a phone in their car and having a conversation. Every car I’ve had for over 20 years has had Bluetooth so there should be no need. Someone in a modern car should just RTFM!
There’s a young lad (in his 20’s but I’m getting to be an old git) that lives opposite and has a brand new VW van. Too many times I’ve seen him come home holding the phone in the cool way of not actually to his ear (not) and trying to park one handed. Maybe he’s on the phone to his dealer….
Hook up to the Bluetooth or buy a cradle, it’s really not that hard!
Far more of the handheld
Far more of the handheld phone drivers I see now are using it to message / scroll / watch something, rather than to have a conversation.
Exactly – people have got the
Exactly – people have got the message obviously calling someone on your mobile while driving is seen as a bit naughty. But if you’re using WhatsApp in the lap they can’t touch you.
Or alternatively they’re messaging someone / looking up something while also on a call…
mikewood wrote:
Better but still dangerous, the majority of drivers in London have their phone in a cradle now, half of them are tapping away on it which I believe is still illegal and a significant proportion of the other half are looking at things on it, anything from Facebook messages to football videos. I’ve actually learned to watch oncoming drivers’ heads to check for the tell-tale crooked neck that shows they are looking at the phone in its cradle rather than the road. It really is time that any phone use at the wheel, handheld or not, was banned – even satnav could be restricted to audio only, you don’t actually need to look at the map on the screen. If a police officer saw somebody driving along with a book or a newspaper propped up in front of them which they were clearly reading they would quite rightly be stopped and charged with careless driving, it’s beyond me why it’s seen as acceptable just because the words happen to be on an electronic screen rather than printed on paper.
Not better at all actually.
Not better at all actually. It’s just as dangerous. There is plenty of research into it. TRL has abstracts of numerous papers ont he topic on its website. And TRL has told its employees that using hands free devices while driving is no longer allowed.
I’m pretty sure the specific
I’m pretty sure the specific legislation on mobile phones relates only to “hand held” devices – as soon as it is mounted in a cradle it is not covered by that legislation and so not illegal per se. Obviously could still be considered careless driving.
As someone who uses a phone (in a cradle) for navigation, I would disagree with the suggestion that you don’t need the map. Well, maybe “need” is a strong word, but I would certainly say I find the map very useful, probably more so than the voice instructions.
I think if a phone is in a
I think if a phone is in a cradle and not being touched, but still being used for an audio call then that may fall within the law.
ie If the driver used verba commands to start the call without touching the screen.
In theory it is like having a conversation with a person in the car.
Though I don’t condone it as it is likely to still be more distracting.
I think there are plenty of clips (ie from CyclingMikey) showinig drivers using their phones on the laps etc that have been FPNed.
Yes you’re correct, I should
Yes you’re correct, I should’ve made clear that I am going on my assumption that physically interacting with a screen while in motion is by definition careless driving – obviously not an assumption shared by every law-enforcement officer.
With the satnav thing, I’m sure you could manage with just the voice instructions, I personally don’t think that anything which means you take your eyes off the road when it’s not strictly necessary (e.g. checking your speed) is a good idea.
Rendel Harris wrote:
If you’ve got your eyes glued to it, it’s no good. But there are times being able to check the position of the 2nd or 3rd exit from a roundabout is incredibly useful, and allows you to get in the right lane as early as possible.
I was travelling through country roads on my way to a funeral recently and some of the verbal instructions were not at all clear – ‘take the next right, then first left’ could easily have seen me half way up the drive to a farm house.
Ideally you’d get a passenger to do that, but that’s not always possible. If you are using a Sat Nav where the junctions are nice and clear then it’s fair to say you won’t need the visuals. If the road signs are nice and big and clear and not blocked by branches then you might not need the SatNav screen, but that isn’t always the case. And when there are complicated roundabouts then the signs don’t always tell you what you need to know, or are so full of information not relevant to you that you will almost certainly take longer to read that than you would with a quick glance of the Sat Nav to tell you that your particular exit is at 2 O’Clock, and you can ignore everything else.
I meant to say, I don’t make
I meant to say, I don’t make or receive phone calls when driving.
I’d consider sticking it in the cradle if I were going on a particularly long drive on the way to somewhere that I might need to be contacted en route, but I prefer to put my phone in a bag or a pocket of a jacket I’m not wearing to avoid any temptation to answer a call or check a screen.
I hate it when people phone me from their car, and if someone answers a call from me while their driving I offer to call back later, or keep things very brief.
FionaJJ wrote:
How about a cheap chinese head-up display instead?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005193015273.html
hawkinspeter wrote:
That’s connected via OBD-II so can’t access GPS data, therefore won’t help with navigation.
The research shows that using
The research shows that using a hands-free phone system is just as dangerous as holding the phone. The distraction is mental rather than physical. It’s only a matter of time before hands-free phone systems are banned. TRL has done plenty of research into just how dangerous this is and it’s on the website if you want to check. My advice is that you stop using a hands-free phone system behind the wheel. It is not safe.
With regards to the trend of
With regards to the trend of holding the phone not to the ear for a conversation, whether driving or not, I think this is an indicator that the user is a fan of Star Trek.
Namely the TOS era with Kirk where they used communicators in the same way…
Reminds me of people holding
Reminds me of people holding pistols horizontally. Looks cool and a little bit gangsta, but serves little practical purpose.
Indeed – although there is a
Indeed – although there is a story that this actually was done with certain guns for a practical purpose – a test suggested doubtful utility though.
mitsky wrote:
random use of the word
random use of the word responsibility -Responsibility refers to the duty of having authority or control over something or someone. If you are responsible for something, you will be held accountable for the outcome of what comes from it, as this was your duty.
Oxford offers the alternative
Oxford offers the alternative definition of acting independently without waiting for authority, which is a better fit for these sort of actions, i.e. I’m going to take responsibility for recording the evidence of this crime rather than calling the police to do so.
I would go further and say it
I would go further and say it is completely incorrect to use the word “responsibility”.
As a cyclist (and pedestrian and driver) I am in no way responsible for other people and how they behave anywhere let alone on the roads.
And as has been pointed out, as someone who reports dangerous drivers, those (usually drivers) who consider us to be “vigilantes” are also using the wrong word.
Vigilante implies we are dishing out our own punishment to dangerous drivers.
All we are doing is reporting it and letting the police/courts do the rest.
…but if all the police do
…but if all the police do when sent solid evidence of an offence is to write a letter to the motorist then most people will just stop bothering. It takes far too long to collate evidence and prepare a statement for it just to end up with an easily ignored epistle.
At last. A police force which
At last. A police force which sees cyclists willing to voluntarily spend time, effort and money in assiting them to police our roads as an asset and is willing to say thank you. Many police forces seem to see us as a nuisance (not mentioning any names).
All they need to do now is to extend the scope from mobile phones to close passes and we’ll start to make progress.
Sadly, the power and inertia
Sadly, the power and inertia of the long-held belief in The Divine Rights of Motorists is not likely to be overcome by one or two rozzers prosecuting one or two of the millions of driving proto-criminals.
Moreover, the belief in this Divine Right is daily enforced by not just the rabid loony mass media but even by the government, with its kulchawar pronouncements about defending The Divine Rights of the rabid reader-drivers of The Hate Mail et al.
Any new government is unlikely to confiscate or stuff a sock in the rabid mass media megaphones; and even less likely to provide enough traffic rozzers to apprehend car-loons.
Even if they did, the courts too are in meltdown and won’t ever get around to prosecuting any car criminals. Even if they do prosecute some, the penalties will continue to be shrugged off as car loons keep driving but don’t bother with the associated insurance, VED, numberplates , MOTs, speed limits or laws about not murdering-whilst-phoning.
One might sum all this up by the remark: wake up and smell the anarchy.
While it is great that
While it is great that Warwickshire Police has come out and said this I would query whether they and other forces have the resource to deal with all the reports.
I doubt it.
Particularly based on my experience with the Met police.
From about 2015 to 2022 I was getting at least 70% (if not 80%) of my reports being actioned with a FPN.
Nowadays I would be surprised if it is 10%.
I believe this is purely based on the increasing number of reports they are getting.
And lets not forget that, as CyclingMikey said, drivers are the biggest reporters of dangerous driving by other drivers.
mitsky wrote:
I recieved an email this week from a WMP officer drafted in to help as they were overwhelmed with submissions and falling behind. It said two of the reports I made over a week ago would only result in warning letters as they had been left too late even though they were both worthy of prosecution.
It’s very disappointing but at least too many reports is better than too few.
“No one wants to live in a
“No one wants to live in a snitch society” – Nick Freeman.
Man simultaneously possessing
Man simultaneously possessing and eating a series of rich cakes decries pastry chefs for supplying unhealthy food…
Pretty sure “snitches” turn into selfless and valuable witnesses if they’re of use to your side of a case!
What’s a good camera that is
What’s a good camera that is not expensive for recording motorists behaviour for a cyclists safety?