Road users have sent more than 50,000 dashcam recordings of potential traffic offices to police forces since 2017, with one-third resulting in action.

Police forces across the UK receive more than 35 pieces of footage every day, according to a freedom of information request sent to every UK constabulary by What Car?

Just over 10% of the incidents captured on film were severe enough to warrant a court prosecution and 9.6% resulted in a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).

A further 10.5% resulted in the driver being asked to attend a driver awareness course, and 3.0% of drivers were given a warning.

The use of dashcams by drivers and other road users has increased by around 850% since 2017, when insurance companies started accepting footage as evidence for claims and the courts first used footage to convict an offender.

The What Car? research found Dyfed-Powys Police in South Wales is the most active in using dash cam footage.

It has taken action over 81.3% of the videos it’s received, with 40.2% of offenders receiving a warning, 18.6% of them were prosecuted in court and 18.4% were asked to attend a driver awareness course, while just 4.0% were handed an FPN.

London’s Metropolitan Police received the largest volume of submissions – nearly 25,000 videos over four years – and acted in 45.4% of cases, issuing court proceedings to 18.9% of offenders, driver awareness courses to 13.9%, FPNs to 9.6% and warnings to 2.9%.

The report comes one month after Fleet News reported that 3,805 videos were uploaded to the National Dash Cam Safety Portal in just 90 days.

The National Dash Cam Safety Portal, which allows motorists to quickly and securely upload footage of dangerous driving to the relevant police authority, is now being used by 33 forces.

Fleet operators and their drivers are being urged to share dashcam footage with police to help prosecute dangerous drivers and improve road safety.

Police forces that have taken the highest share of actions per footage received -

  

Police Force

Number of dash cam videos received 2017 – 2020

Number of videos resulting in action by Police Force

Percentage of videos resulting in action by the Police Force

Dyfed-Powys Police

375

305

81.3%

Norfolk & Suffolk Constabulary

1877

966

51.5%

Northamptonshire Police

612

300

49.0%

Metropolitan Police Service

24,799

11,247

45.4%

Gwent Police

 

728

306

42.0%

Warwickshire Police

1875

722

38.5%

Gloucestershire Constabulary

470

180

38.3%

Humberside Police

 

272

94

34.6%

Devon and Cornwall Constabulary

1182

379

32.1%

North Wales Police

1857

516

27.8%