POLICE Scotland has made a U-turn and created a dedicated dashcam reporting portal on its website. This allows anyone to upload camera footage of poor driving to make it easier to report and prosecute road crimes.
The £300,000 system comes after pressure from a large number of road user groups, led by Cycling UK, to adopt a video reporting scheme like the ones already used in England and Wales.
The national dashcam safety portal makes it quick and easy for anyone to upload dashcam or helmetcam footage of dangerous driving, riding or other road crimes.
Jim Densham, Cycling UK’s policy and campaigns manager for Scotland, said: “Following our campaigning, Cycling UK is extremely pleased to see Transport Scotland and Police Scotland’s commitment to introducing a national dashcam safety portal which will help responsible road users provide evidence of dangerous and careless driving.
“Roads police officers can’t be everywhere on the roads but as the use of dashcams and helmetcams continues to grow, they can provide added eyes on the road, collecting valuable evidence.”
The system has also been welcomed by Living Streets Scotland, the British Horse Society Scotland, the AA, RAC, road safety charity Brake, and the British Motorcyclists Federation.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “The majority of drivers show a responsible attitude when sharing the road with other road users. However, there are a minority who take too many risks on the roads and therefore we believe an online camera footage submission and reporting system in Scotland will improve road safety for all.”
