Police may not always be on the scene to catch dangerous drivers in the act, but the increased prevalence of motorists using dashcams doesn’t mean bad behaviours go unpunished.
Since May, ACT Policing has allowed motorists to submit potential driving offences via an online portal, which has already resulted in 132 reports and 25 traffic infringement notices.
To increase awareness that motorists can dob each other in, the law enforcement agency published a video which included multiple incidents captured since May, resulting in almost $7000 worth of fines being issued.
A majority of fines were the result of drivers running red lights, however there are more concerning examples of passing others while outside the road’s dedicated lanes… or failing to stop for a pedestrian crossing.
“Gone are the days where police need to be right there to be able to fine drivers for offences they commit on our roads,” said Mark Richardson, Officer in Charge of Road Policing Acting Inspector.
“By using modern technology, and public support to send in footage of driving offences they observe on our roads, police are now able to utilise this footage to ensure drivers are held to account at all times.
“While police are happy to see so many people are already using the online portal, we are very disappointed to see the volume of poor driving behaviour occurring daily.
“This serves as a reminder to those people who choose to put other drivers at risk through your actions, just because you can’t see police in sight – it does not mean that we can’t see you.
“We would also once again encourage members of the public to come forward with this kind of dashcam footage. Police will continue to investigate all matters of dangerous driving that are reported to us.”
If you want to make a report about dangerous driving you’ve witnessed and captured in the Australian Capital Territory, you can access the online portal here.
