‘Idiot’ and dangerous drivers filmed in Cornwall

Shocking new footage of “idiotic” drivers overtaking and speeding, putting themselves and others at risk, has been released by police. The reckless individuals were among a number of drivers caught on dash cam footage by members of the public and submitted to Devon and Cornwall Police’s Operation Snap, which has caught more than 2,000 at-risk drivers since it launched in 2019.

The alarming footage shows risky behaviour, including dangerous overtaking of other vehicles and driving too close to cyclists, such as one driver running a red light. The incidents took place in Devon and Cornwall, and the road safety team said each could have “easily” turned into serious collisions.

A motorist driving on the A388 near Callington was caught on camera dangerously overtaking a vehicle, electrocuting the driver, while narrowly avoiding a collision with an oncoming car on the other side of the road. The driver was fined £370 and given five points on his licence for careless driving.

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Another impatient driver was spotted trying to overtake a tractor on the A30 near Penzance and narrowly managed to stop his car before it collided head-on with another vehicle. Also guilty of careless driving, he was fined £247 and given six penalty points.

Adrian Leisk, head of road safety for Devon and Cornwall Police, said most drivers in the area are largely careful and considerate, but warned that a small number posed a “significant risk” to others. He said: “We really hope that Operation Snap will act as a deterrent to that minority who think they will go undetected by driving horribly.”

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“Many of these videos could easily have resulted in a serious collision, with people never being able to return home to their loved ones. We are so grateful to the hundreds of road users who send us footage every month, allowing us to hold these incredibly dishonest drivers to account. You are literally saving lives by doing this.”

Operation Snap is a police initiative that encourages the public to provide video evidence of road traffic offences, capitalising on the growing use of dash cams. Mr Leisk added: “As more people install dash cams and submit their footage to Operation Snap, drivers are realising that dangerous and reckless driving is much more likely to be caught on camera and punished by the police.”

“But you can’t just send dash cam footage. Op Snap can act on video clips from virtually any device, including cell phones, video doorbells, motorcycle, bike and helmet cameras.”

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