Getting prosecuted from Dashcam?

[BUDFORCE]

Why does that concern you? There's too many cretins driving on the roads and with too few police about they 99/100 get away with it (jumping red lights is rife at the moment).

Frankly if there's an easy prosecution the police can make just from publicly submitted footage then I'm all for it.

Because some people are vindictive little *****, that will get a power trip for doing it.

Not specifically to cyclists, but I can see people doing things that'll annoy other drivers, but from their dashcam perspective make the other party look completely in the wrong and sent that over to the police the other party, will probably just cave into the NIP, as most people will do, in fear of having to go to court.

The police will love it, because they'll get their conviction rate up without actually having to do anything.

Apparently the cyclist sends in 4-5 vids a week

Exactly.......

These are not people who have had maybe a one off something that genuinely nearly caused a severe accident or something, they are self appointed road police, probably some right entitled little **** that will try and catch anyone out over anything they possibly can.

 

[Bear]

Exactly.......

These are not people who have had maybe a one off something that genuinely nearly caused a severe accident or something, they are self appointed road police, probably some right entitled little **** that will try and catch anyone out over anything they possibly can.

Exactly what? You have no idea what that person could have been through to make them into that person that sends in 4 to 5 vids a week. Maybe he is just an entitled little turd or he could have been knocked off and seriously injured by a careless driver or had their friend killed who knows

 

[ICDP]

You or your friend ranting about them isn’t going to fix it. How about your or your friend (and other motorists) just learn to be patient overtaking cyclists and recognise that 1.5 metres is a minimum and a lot more than some inconsiderate people typically give.

Here is what 1.5m looks like and then bear in mind that’s a minimum and includes wing mirrors.

 

[Bug One]

My only concern is that this sounds like it would be really easy for scammers to start doing.

If I had a cold call from someone with this line I'd assume they're running a scam. I'd only respond if they sent me something legitimate in the post.

 

[Bear]

My only concern is that this sounds like it would be really easy for scammers to start doing.

If I had a cold call from someone with this line I'd assume they're running a scam. I'd only respond if they sent me something legitimate in the post.

It would be the police that would be contacting anyone. The dashcam person would upload the video to a police portal, the police would assess if it would be worth pursuing and take appropriate action.

 

[ICDP]

It would usually be in the post.

 

[Bug One]

You or your friend ranting about them isn’t going to fix it. How about your or your friend (and other motorists) just learn to be patient overtaking cyclists and recognise that 1.5 metres is a minimum and a lot more than some inconsiderate people typically give.

Here is what 1.5m looks like and then bear in mind that’s a minimum and includes wing mirrors.

I see it all the time. There's regularly cyclists on my daily school run drive. I wait for a gap and overtake on the other side of the road.

This tends to annoy a certain type of impatient car driver behind who will then squeeze past as close as possible after me as if to prove a point that patience wasn't nessecary.

They'll only learn one way.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I’ve not been on a bike for a few years now but you **** your pants when a car brushes past your elbow at 15mph+ faster than you. The numbers of close passes I see on a regular basis is dire, particularly from so called professional drivers.

Sure cyclists are no angels but the last people that should be calling people are out is other vehicle drivers when driving standards generally are in the toilet.

The whole premise of cyclists ’scamming’ drivers is an absolute joke and the police being on a power trip is laughable. Throwing around accusations like this just means you throw away any sense of credibility. You’ve already lost the argument.

The police aren’t going to prosecute someone for passing a cyclist at 140cm instead of 150+. They only send NIPs where it’s blatant because things like wide angle lenses distort distances on video and make things look closer than they are. This is ultimately this is a little subjective.

They have to look at the road markings and assess where the cyclist is and the vehicle and take a view. If it’s blatant, they’ll send the nip, if it isn’t, they won’t take any action or may send a warning letter.

It’s a bit like speeding or drink driving, the legal limit is 30, they don’t send a nip until 33/34 or prosecute drink driving unless you blow 38+ on the evidential machine despite the limit being 35.

Also don’t forget the police are significant criticism for not taking in cases where it’s clear an office has been committed. They themselves are in a tricky position where it’s not fully clear because the pressure groups will ultimately apply pressure.

 

[Vanquish-Storm]

That's the point, he doesn't know.

They won't release the footage unless he takes it to court, which obviously means he risks loosing and paying court fees etc, plus a harsher penalty, Vs just pleading guilty and taking the points and a £60 fine or whatever it is these days.

Yeah sounds dodgy, innocent until proven guilty. Better call Saul.

Wouldn’t be shocked to find out the cyclist is the coppers mate or something.

 

[Begbie]

It has got pretty crazy on the main route (NSL A30) that runs through the area where I live - it is just way too busy to be combining cyclists and other vehicles safely regardless of whether cyclists have a right to be there or not and even though at times you get a fair amount of farm traffic which isn't hugely faster and gets pretty silly if you've got multiple sets of cyclist spread out over a few miles of it.

We need a significant investment in expanding cycling, etc. infrastructure.

Whilst I don't disagree, what one do we stop?

Cars or cyclist's? Both have the right to use the road, and there currently isn't a hierarchy of users.

For some reason when the government/council decides to invest in cyclist's it's normally a marked area on the road that just reduces the road width to something impossible. Which then causes cars to feel more comfortable overtaking because they think they're not in the cycle lane so it must be ok.

 

[ci_newman]

I've actually given up road cycling as every time I went out (for pleasure, not commuting) some cretin would make a dangerous pass on me. I'm not a slow cyclist, my average speed was 20mph typically and I stayed away from main trunk roads. I finally threw in the towel when someone in an SUV overtook me as I was trying to turn right into a junction (for which I had started indicating a good portion of time before and positioning myself in the road to turn too).

 

[Bug One]

The whole premise of cyclists ’scamming’ drivers is an absolute joke and the police being on a power trip is laughable. Throwing around accusations like this just means you throw away any sense of credibility. You’ve already lost the argument.

Not sure if that was in response to my post. My concern is 'genuine' scammers picking up on this and updating their scam scripts to pretend to be the police to get people to pay fines over the phone.

 

[G J]

I think a lot of drivers think there's some unwritten rule that they cant go into the opposite side of the road fully or something and I've also seen some drivers pass them but then at the next set of lights I'm sure they move the car to the left side of the road on purpose and it makes the cyclist dismount off the bike.

 

[Bear]

I finally threw in the towel when someone in an SUV overtook me as I was trying to turn right into a junction (for which I had started indicating a good portion of time before and positioning myself in the road to turn too).

Ive had that as well. I hand signalled my intention to turn right into a side road, moved to the centre of the road to get ready for the turn do a final over the shoulder check and a woman in a Merc decides race up behind me and moves to the other side of the road about to over take while Im still signalling.

 

[Bug One]

It has got pretty crazy on the main route (NSL A30) that runs through the area where I live - it is just way too busy to be combining cyclists and other vehicles safely regardless of whether cyclists have a right to be there or not and even though at times you get a fair amount of farm traffic which isn't hugely faster and gets pretty silly if you've got multiple sets of cyclist spread out over a few miles of it.

We need a significant investment in expanding cycling, etc. infrastructure.

It is tricky - however it could be worse. I've got a stables round the corner and one of the owners has decided she wants to take her horsie out for a ride every day after school. On the roads. Through all the school traffic. It's absolute bedlam at the best of times, but with a horse in the middle of it all. But, unless the law changes - you have to do as they say.

Personally, I'd like to see a law introduced that if there is a cycle lane available, cyclists can be prosecuted for using the road instead. There's a long straight 60 near to me where all the full lycra crowd will use the road instead of the massive wide cycle path - I expect because they're recoding their activity on strava and want to get a good time (the cycle path is fractionally longer). Infuriating.

 

[jeffspuds]

i got knocked off my bike a few years ago was not pretty, the drivers mrs was more bothered about the damage to her car rather than the state of me, police prosecuted the driver.

 

[ICDP]

Yeah sounds dodgy, innocent until proven guilty. Better call Saul.

Wouldn’t be shocked to find out the cyclist is the coppers mate or something.

What a total load of utter tripe. Whatever you do OP, don’t take this advice.

I have no love for the police and know how bad they can be with some of their crap but the point is we will rarely win in such cases and when we do it is after much stress and financial cost.

 

[Simon]

Exactly what? You have no idea what that person could have been through to make them into that person that sends in 4 to 5 vids a week. Maybe he is just an entitled little turd or he could have been knocked off and seriously injured by a careless driver or had their friend killed who knows

Well they did kind of suggest they had to warn him they were wasting their time. But also they have to look at them all. Ironically the guy ranted t me as I overtook him actually made the road less safe than him just getting on with his day

Anyway there’s lots of arguing but not sure what document the friend received yet.

Really not sure why they won’t share the video either.

 

[Bluecube]

Does there not have to be proof of who’s driving the car before any prosecution can go ahead? No one has been identified from what I’ve read so far.

Also, I’d expect any warning of prosecution or whatever to be supplied to a person either in writing or by a policeman in person. I’d ignore any random phone call.

 

[Bear]

Really not sure why they won’t share the video either.

Yeah that does seem weird to me, if I was accused of doing something wrong, I would like to see the evidence if I wasnt aware I actually did anything wrong