ITV appeals for helmet cam footage of UK road incidents and near misses for new programme

Have you filmed a crash, scrape or near miss on your helmet cam? If so, ITV wants your footage. ITN Productions is putting together a programme that will provide “a true sense of the dangers of the road” and has appealed to road.cc readers for help.

The as yet unnamed show is to air early next year in two one-hour episodes. Making use of helmet and dashboard cam footage, it will look at the dangers on Britain’s roads, how incidents are caused and the growing trend for people to record their commutes.

When the initial request for footage was left on our forum, it was met with a generally cautious and occasionally cynical response, with many concerned that the programme could prove sensationalist. Much of this stems from a one-off BBC documentary from 2012 entitled The War on Britain’s Roads which came under fire for the way it depicted cyclists and motorists as two warring tribes.

Speaking at the time, Roger Geffen from the CTC said that his campaign group had met with the makers of that programme, showing them statistics that indicated a long-term increase in cycling safety.

"Instead of covering this good news story, the BBC has instead chosen to portray cycling as an activity solely for battle-hardened males with helmets and cameras. This hostile stereotyping merely scares mums, children and others back into their cars."

A member of the production team working on the new ITV show was keen to emphasise that they are looking to make something rather different.

“We're all too aware of the cynicism and concern around "crash bang wallop" clip shows, and formats that potentially widen divisions between road users, rather than aiming to inform and improve road safety.

“We are looking to make films that are more thoughtful than just the standard clip/voiceover routine, and it's for this exact reason that we're reaching out to your users – to get real stories and experiences of actual road users, that really give people a true sense of the dangers of the road.”

The plan is for the films to be led by the footage submitted and the people who provide it. If you have a clip you think could be of use and might also be interested in appearing on camera to talk through your experience, you can get in touch at caughtoncamera [at] itn.co.uk.