Reporting mobile use while driving

[davefb]

surely for mobiles.. its not the video cam evidence on it's own..

Its going 'were you using your phone?"
"okay, lets look at the records"

and the fact the phone was being used is the evidence? guess I'm being naive..

 

[Nortones2]

Carte blanche for the police to not deal with incidents, thanks to the cuts in funding. They'll end up just keeping warm in their dug-out, & to save the bother, they'll make the public pay for private investigators. Not entirely tongue in cheek!

 

[glenn forger]

We can't afford to crack down on drivers on phone at the wheel, say police chiefs: Forces say chance of getting caught is 'less than it used to be' after cuts to officers

• Cuts to number of patrol officers means drivers are getting away with crime
• Campaigners described it as 'very concerning' and potentially dangerous
• Official figures show an increase in motorists using mobiles at the wheel
• Studies have shown using a phone is more dangerous than drink-driving

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-caught-used-cuts-officers.html#ixzz3qQRCjVQn


Prosecutions for using a phone at the wheel have fallen 47 per cent in five years, according figures from the RAC. There were 32,571 in 2009 but only 17,414 last year.

 

[glenn forger]

But both officers emphasised the reduction in the number of traffic police, which has fallen from 7,000 to 4,300 in the past decade while mobile phone use has soared.

 

[Drago]

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.

Mr Fraser, you have been sadly misinformed. Most video footage that finds it way to court originates from the public domain. Police bodycam and official council CCTV footage makes up a minority.

Provided the provenance can be established - a simple and often pro forma statement from the person producing it is usually all that is required - then it's perfectly admissible and will be accepted as evidence. The bulk of evidential footage is private cctv, mobile phone, and increasingly dashcam and helmet cam. A colleague of mine recently recently managed to get a gentleman banned from driving the strength of dashcam footage from a witness, the first such result on our patch.

I would lodge a complaint with the organisation that told you that.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Mr Fraser, you have been sadly misinformed. Most video footage that finds it way to court originates from the public domain. Police bodycam and official council CCTV footage makes up a minority.

Provided the provenance can be established - a simple and often pro forma statement from the person producing it is usually all that is required - then it's perfectly admissible and will be accepted as evidence. The bulk of evidential footage is private cctv, mobile phone, and increasingly dashcam and helmet cam. A colleague of mine recently recently managed to get a gentleman banned from driving the strength of dashcam footage from a witness, the first such result on our patch.

I would lodge a complaint with the organisation that told you that.

Inspector Cox of Wiltshire suggests that even with evidence from cameras there needs to be further corroboration. See about 17:04:40 on this link http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/3163e930-c769-4fef-9eb7-7656234fba3f

I have also heard stories of cyclists being told that their helmet cam footage is "not independent evidence" although this may be down to individual lazy arses rather than policy

GC

 

[BlackPanther]

I reported a white van man who pulled out in front of me about 4 weeks ago. As a overtook him at traffic lights I saw he was on his phone. When I got off my bike and told him what he'd just done he was still on his phone and he told me to f*** off. When I set off on green he was still on his phone. When I got home, I reported him. 2 officers came to my house the next day, saw the video from my helmet and rear facing camera showing all this and they said they'd 'have a word'.........I've heard nothing. The video could not have been clearer, nor could his attitude.

This happened in the town centre with 100s of shoppers milling around. Talk about an accident waiting to happen!

 

[Vikeonabike]

I think the result from helmet cam footage varies from constabulary to constabulary. My own Constabulary are crap. Not interested unless someone is hurt. The constabulary (Lincolnshire) where I live are brilliant!

 

[Ed Phelan]

Down here in Sussex we have a police scheme which allows you to report anti-social driving; it seems like a great way to increase awareness - http://www.operationcrackdown.org/

 

[glenn forger]

https://www.gov.uk/government/consu...s-changes-to-penalties-for-use-whilst-driving

 

[Arjimlad]

Wondering what to do about the growing numbers of drivers who can't be trusted with a mobile phone. Drifting & dozing about as they complete that important text or FB message. A dangerous nuisance to cyclists and other road users.

Should I buy a video camera & film them, or get an air horn (not an Airzound) & shock them into awareness of the world outside of their windscreen? I used to have one on my bike as a lad and it was rather good.

Continued supine acceptance is no longer an option.

 

[summerdays]

Wondering what to do about the growing numbers of drivers who can't be trusted with a mobile phone. Drifting & dozing about as they complete that important text or FB message. A dangerous nuisance to cyclists and other road users.

Should I buy a video camera & film them, or get an air horn (not an Airzound) & shock them into awareness of the world outside of their windscreen? I used to have one on my bike as a lad and it was rather good.

Continued supine acceptance is no longer an option.

I know it's everywhere but if it's particularly bad at one place could you find out which police patch it is and then speak to one of the police for that patch or attend one of those meetings where they set the priorities. Sometimes you can influence what you would like them to focus on.

Currently the chance of getting caught and then the level of the punishment is not sufficiently high to act as a deterrent!

Although it irritates me, I have got to the point where it's just so normal to see, though I have been known to shake my head and ask them to put it down.

 

[Arjimlad]

I know it's everywhere but if it's particularly bad at one place could you find out which police patch it is and then speak to one of the police for that patch or attend one of those meetings where they set the priorities. Sometimes you can influence what you would like them to focus on.

Currently the chance of getting caught and then the level of the punishment is not sufficiently high to act as a deterrent!

Although it irritates me, I have got to the point where it's just so normal to see, though I have been known to shake my head and ask them to put it down.

Queuing southbound down the A38 towards the M5 in the morning, there are many drivers who use it as an excuse to catch up on Facebook and such like. I could very well have a word with the local police about it.

Although when uniform are about, they will all be on their best behaviour and it really takes a cyclist's vantage point to catch these tools.

 

[summerdays]

I follow a couple of police Twitter accounts but I'm not sure if there is one for that area, the nearest I could get was ASPTheStokes, after that the next one up the A38 I think is ASPThornbury, not sure where their southern boundary would be.

It would be good if they would take camera evidence... At the moment the only ones I bother reporting are things like bus drivers.

 

[bozmandb9]

People in London can report mobile-phone-using drivers on the following form:

http://www.met.police.uk/roadsafelondon/

The form takes about 5 mins to fill in, and can be sent anonymously. It is also relevant for other gross traffic offences. I have sent in several forms and correspondence with the admin officers shows that they are very keen indeed to get details of "those who consider themselves above the law" in their words. There is even a drop-down choice for "cycling near-misses". We should support this effort to change the enforcement environment in favour of the general good.

If people are aware of other schemes around the country, perhaps they could also post details?

Admin, could we have a sticky?

Cheers

TI

Great link, though it doesn't mention anything about 'using a mobile phone whilst driving'. It does mention speeding or dangerous driving, which is what should be reported. I think the obsession with mobile phone use is wrong. According to official figures, it accounts for maybe up to 20 deaths per year, and this figure seems to have increased since it became a criminal offence.

Bottom line is dangerous driving is dangerous driving, IF it's caused by mobile phone use, report the dangerous driving. If it's caused by smoking, report it, radio us, kids, whatever the cause, if it's dangerous driving, report it. Don't report somebody for dangerous driving it they are not, whether you personally approve of mobile phone use behind the wheel or not (and I should make the point that I don't), but to report somebody for dangerous driving purely on the basis that they are using a mobile phone, I would say is a false report.

According to official statistics, mobile phone distraction is a factor in 0.8% of accidents, nearly all are simply caused by driver error. 3.2% are caused by bad road layout. For full details see link below.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/8702111/How-do-accidents-happen.html

It's up to the Police to enforce the law, the link is useful to assist them in their duty, but it should be used properly.