Drivers witness 14 illegal incidents per week

UK drivers witness 14 illegal incidents on the roads each week, according to new research from Nextbase.

The dashcam manufacturer has published new research that reveals almost three quarters (72%) of drivers say they’ve been involved in a near-miss incident.

Drivers see many incidents of illegal driving every week, on average 14 separate instances. These are most commonly speeding, which 67% of drivers surveyed said they saw on a weekly basis, followed by failing to indicate (60%), tailgating (52%), and dangerous overtaking (52%).

Nextbase is urging the public to use its Dash Cam Safety Portal to upload clips of other drivers so they can be passed on to police.

Bryn Brooker, head of road safety at Nextbase, said: "We created the Portal to make roads safer. Road users can send in video from any device and help to get dangerous drivers off the road. Police aren’t just sitting on these videos – they are using them. Almost every force in the country is now signed up, with the remaining handful intending to do so soon. The system we built four years ago is not only helping police, it is removing dangerous drivers from the road.”

With one in five vehicles now fitted with a dash cam, motorists are being warned to ‘drive like they’re being filmed’ every time they get behind the wheel.

And with many people sending footage of motoring offences to the police every day, the chances of being reported for an offence captured on a dash cam are now higher than ever.

Steve Callaghan, Road Safety Support’s technical expert and manager of its ISO 17025 Speed Calibration Laboratory, said: “The police can’t be on every road, 24-7, but the public can. With so many dash cams in use, and with the rise in cyclists wearing headcams, there really is a strong likelihood that road users will be filmed at some point on every journey they make.

“In road casualty reduction terms, a dash cam really is a powerful tool, creating a strong deterrence against motoring offences. These days, the chances of being filmed by a dash cam are high, so offences like speeding and using your mobile phone at the wheel really aren’t worth the risk.”

Three quarters (75%) of survey respondents said they had never reported a traffic incident before. Of the quarter of drivers who have reported incidents to the police via traditional methods, the majority said the process was “complicated”. Some 41% of drivers said they had neglected to report a serious driver offence because they didn’t know how.

Data from police forces shows 70% of submissions to the portal have led to further action – including court cases, awareness courses, fixed penalty notices and warning letters. 30% of submissions have resulted in no further action.

More than 48,000 clips have been uploaded, since the scheme launched four years ago.