Dangerous ‘idiot’ drivers caught on camera in Cornwall

Police have unveiled shocking new footage showing ‘idiot’ drivers carrying out dangerous overtaking and shaving, putting themselves and others at risk. These reckless individuals were among a number of drivers captured by members of the public in dashcam footage, then passed on to Devon and Cornwall Police’s Operation Snap, which has attracted more than 2,000 high-risk drivers since its launch in 2019.

Alarming footage shows risky moves such as unsafely overtaking other vehicles and shaving too close to cyclists, including a driver who bulldozed through a red light. These incidents took place in Devon and Cornwall, with the road safety team saying each could have “easily” turned into serious collisions.

A motorist, driving along the A388 near Callington, was caught on camera dangerously overtaking a vehicle, shocking the driver as he narrowly avoided a collision with an oncoming car on the other side of the road. The driver was fined £370 and given five points on his license for careless driving.

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Another rash driver can be seen trying to overtake a tractor on the A30 near Penzance and only manages to stop his car before colliding head first with another vehicle. Also guilty of careless driving, they were fined £247 and given six penalty points.

Adrian Leisk, who leads road safety for Devon and Cornwall Police, said most drivers in the region were largely safe and careful, but warned there were a small number who posed a “significant risk” to others. He said: “We really hope that Operation Snap acts as a deterrent to this minority who believe they will not be caught driving in an appalling way.”

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“Many of these referrals could so easily have resulted in a serious collision with people never making it home to their loved ones. We’re so grateful to the hundreds of road users who submit footage every month, allowing us to bring this incredibly bad driving to book. . You are literally saving lives by doing this.”

Operation Snap is a police initiative encouraging the public to provide video evidence of road crime, capitalizing on the growing use of dash cams. Mr Leisk added: “As more people install dash cams and submit their footage to Op Snap, drivers are realizing that bad and dangerous driving is much more likely to be caught on camera and dealt with by the police.”

“But it’s not just dashcam footage you can send Op Snap can act on video from almost any device, such as mobile phones, video doorbells, motorbike cameras, bikes and headphones.”

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