Dangerous drivers caught on camera

WATCH: Operation Snap captures 5,000 motorists

A south west initiative to try to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on Devon and Cornwall's roads has hit a major milestone, having taken action against more than 5,000 motorists.

Vision Zero South West's 'Op Snap' has used video footage submitted by members of the public to go after errant drivers.

The latest video released from the group shows six examples of submissions, include a shocking case of dangerous overtaking, a car cutting across a cyclist, another car pulling out of a junction without looking and a car jumping a clear red light.

You can watch those six near-misses here.

Supt Adrian Leisk, strategic roads policing lead for Devon and Cornwall, is chairman of Vision Zero South West’s enforcement group. He said: “More people are using dashcams and helmet cameras than ever before and as the profile of Op Snap continues to increase, it’s increasingly likely that poor drivers will be caught on camera.

“But it’s not getting caught that drivers should be worried about, many of the instances we see could have easily escalated into collisions causing serious and potentially even fatal injuries.

“As active members of the Vision Zero South West road safety partnership, our collective goal is to halve all serious and fatal injuries by 2030 – and then completely.”

In 2021, 47 people were killed and 647 people were seriously injured on Devon and Cornwall’s roads, according to the Department for Transport.

Alison Hernandez, police and crime commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, is chairman of Vision Zero South West. She said: “When dealing with figures like these it’s important to remember that every single one represents a person who has suffered dramatically as a result of a collision on our roads.

“Whether it’s someone who dies, sustains a brain injury, loses a limb or suffers from the harrowing mental effects of a road traffic collision, the effect this incident has on them – as well as their friends and family - cannot be underestimated.

“The whole purpose of Vision Zero South West is to cut road traffic deaths to zero.  All our partners will admit this is an extremely ambitious target but one which needs to be at the forefront of all of our minds."