Organisations including South West Water, the RNLI and Live West have already signed up to receive some of the 170 state-of-the-art dashcams under the new scheme, which is jointly funded by National Highways and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for the region.
Footage captured on the dashcams will be used to assist Devon and Cornwall Police’s Operation Snap, an initiative which allows members of the public to upload video footage of road traffic collisions as well as illegal or dangerous driving.
Since the start of Op Snap in Devon and Cornwall in 2019, more than 1,300 dangerous drivers have been prosecuted – and the number of submissions to Op Snap has increased dramatically recently.
In the first six months of 2021, Devon and Cornwall Police received 779 submissions through Op Snap. Of these, 408 cases saw notices of intended prosecutions issued, and 144 cases resulted in an official police warning.
Clips captured by members of the public include dangerous overtaking, close passes near cyclists, undertaking on the M5 and one car even overtaking on a grass verge.
The idea of the latest dashcam project is to ensure there are more eyes on the road to enforce the message that dangerous or illegal driving will not be tolerated on Devon and Cornwall’s roads.
Another underlying aim of the scheme is to make poor driving something that is socially unacceptable.
Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, is also the National Road Safety Lead for the APCC and chairman of the Vision Zero South West board.
Commissioner Hernandez said: “This is a fantastic project that I hope will have a significant impact on road safety in Devon and Cornwall.
“We have specifically chosen the organisations involved to receive these cameras as they operate vehicles which regularly travel on some of the most problematic roads across the South West.
“This gives us 170 extra pairs of eyes on our roads to capture dangerous drivers and take action against them through Devon and Cornwall Police’s Op Snap initiative.
“With more people watching, the chances of bad drivers getting caught will increase. I hope this makes motorists more alert and, in turn, will make our roads safer for everyone.”
Superintendent Adrian Leisk, of the roads policing team said: “Operation Snap allows us to effectively receive and process uploaded digital footage and photos of traffic offences in a safe and secure way, whilst making the investigation process simple and straightforward for our staff and members of the public.
“These additional dash cams will increase the likelihood of dangerous, careless or inconsiderate drivers being identified across our 13,670 miles of road network, supporting our approach to reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured.
“Evidence shows driver education or penalties applied because of evidence submitted to Operation Snap helps to modify driver behaviour, so these extra eyes and ears will make a significant contribution to holding poor drivers to account."
Pez Hargreaves is the South West Regional Safety Manager for the RNLI, who will be taking part in the project.
He said: “With facilities including lifeboat stations, lifeguard units and support bases located across the south west and many of our volunteers and staff travelling around the region as part of their core duties, the RNLI will be able to contribute significantly to this initiative.
“The charity puts a focus on ensuring our volunteer crew and our lifeguards are safe while saving lives at sea, and this scheme will contribute to the safety of our teams using the road networks, as well as for people who live in and visit the region.”
What is Vision Zero South West?
Vision Zero is a shared commitment between a number of organisations across Devon and Cornwall. The one thing they all share is a commitment to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries in the region to zero.
Vision Zero is led by a partnership board which includes a wide range of experts from all around the South West including senior police and fire officers, leading clinicians, councillors and the police and crime commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.