Calls for Police Scotland to allow uploads of dangerous driver videos
Almost two thirds of Scottish adults support the introduction of an online system to allow the public to upload footage of dangerous drivers to make the country’s roads safer.
A survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of the charity Cycling UK found 59 per cent of respondents said they would support an online system that would allow people to upload and report footage of dangerous driving to Police Scotland. Just 17 per cent of those questioned were against the idea.
Jim Densham, Cycling UK’s campaigns and policy manager for Scotland, said the results of the poll show the evidence in favour of bringing in such a system is overwhelming. “The Scottish public want to see this life-saving measure brought in. The evidence shows it will save police time and hold dangerous drivers to account. The decision is a no brainer and we hope the government will work with Police Scotland to make our roads safer as soon as possible.”
The polling follows a joint letter from a coalition of 33 organisations representing all of Scotland’s road users – including the AA, Cycling UK, road safety charity Brake, British Motorcyclists Federation and British Horse Society Scotland – calling on Police Scotland to introduce a nationwide camera footage submission system to make the roads safer, sent in March 2021.
The Scottish government recently announced a Vision Zero target for eliminating road deaths and serious injuries by 2050. Yet Police Scotland is one of only five UK police forces not using an online video reporting system – with the other 40 forces already having a system in place.
New data released this month shows that reports to the National Dash Cam Safety Portal (NDCSP), which is currently used by 37 UK forces, result in some form of action being taken against drivers in over 80 per cent of cases.
The portal has saved 263,240 police hours over the past three years – the equivalent of over 29 years of police time.
Mr Densham added: “Introducing this new system would be a signal of intent from both the government and Police Scotland on making good on the Vision Zero target. Road crime is real crime – the submission of video evidence will help ensure it is dealt with appropriately, while also freeing up valuable police time to deal with other serious crimes.”
