Near 25% increase in video submissions since Highway Code changes

The head of road safety at Nextbase, the dash cam manufacturer that runs the National Dash Cam Safety Portal used by many police forces, says video submissions, particularly from cyclists and pedestrians, have been on the rise since the new Highway Code came into effect in January.

Bryn Brooker told the Express there has been nearly 25 per cent more submissions since the changes, bolstered by more cyclists and pedestrians reporting motorists to their police force.

"We are seeing an increase in road users submitting video to the Nextbase Dash Cam Safety Portal," Booker said. "Particularly from cyclists and pedestrians, reporting motorists to their local police force. There has been a nearly 25 percent increase in submissions since the new Highway Code rules were announced."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the employee of the dash cam manufacturer also recommended, "All motorists protect themselves and their vehicles with a dash cam."

Nextbase's National Dash Cam Safety Portal (NDSP) is described as "a response to the ever-increasing submissions of video and photographic evidence from members of the public in relation to witnessed driving offences" on the website.

Any type of footage, whether filmed on a dash cam, mobile phone or any other device can be submitted, with the portal being used by various police forces to address dangerous driving.

The Express' interview is predictably representitive of certain sections of the media's output since January's Highway Code changes, and asks Booker to comment on the clip featured in our Near Miss of the Day 752.

Since that footage was widely shared online, various news outlets have published articles centred around the 'debate' about who was in the wrong? This comes despite the police, Crown Prosecution Service and court all finding fault with the driver's actions.

"This video is a reminder that all road users should follow the Highway Code, and motorists should take additional caution around more vulnerable road users, such as cyclists or pedestrians," Booker says when shown the footage by the Express.

"The new Highway Code changes, which changes the hierarchy of the road, mean the responsibility is with motorists more than ever. They must now take extra caution when overtaking or passing vulnerable road users. 

"Where motorists cannot prove they acted properly, it is likely they will take most, if not all, responsibility for damages after an incident."

It is later said that thousands of cyclists and drivers have invested in dashcams or helmet cameras since January.

Last week, Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Cox of Lincolnshire Police, said: "The police can’t be everywhere all the time, but the public can be," and urged riders to invest in helmet or handlebar cameras to catch law-breaking motorists.