South Yorkshire Police Report a HUGE increase in Dash Cam Video Submissions

South Yorkshire Police have reported a huge 1882% increase in public submissions of dash cam footage (that shows instances of dangerous or law-breaking driving) since 2021 – the biggest percentage increase of any police force in the UK.

Across the nation, more and more British motorists are becoming ‘DIY traffic cops’ and channelling their inner ‘Big Brother’, with over 72,000 pieces of dash cam footage submitted to the police by members of the public last year.

In South Yorkshire specifically, 1,764 videos of bad driving were submitted to the local police force last year, up from just 89 in 2021.

It’s estimated that five videos are being shared with South Yorkshire Police per day, or 34 per week, showing that locals here are more than happy to ‘dob in’ motorists that break the rules of the road.

The figures come from dash cam and telematics experts iCompario who submitted a Freedom of Information request to every police force in the England and Wales.

Overall, they discovered a 77% increase in dashcam submissions to police between January 2021 and the end of 2023, when looking at the combined England and Wales forces annual totals – but in some places like South Yorkshire, this was much higher.

Areas with the highest % increase in dash cam submissions to the police (2021 v 2023)

South Yorkshire: +1882%

Hampshire: +469%

Humberside: +205%

Warwickshire: +191%

Lincolnshire: +172%

The data also showed that an average of 342 pieces of dash cam footage were submitted to the police every single day in 2023, with submissions rising every year following the rollout of the Police Operation Snap dash cam portal in December 2017.

Around 70% of dash cam footage submissions lead to police action, ranging from warning letters to penalty points, prosecutions and fines, and potentially even jail time.

With 176,000 confirmed dash cam video submissions in the past three years from 26 police forces across the country, the iCompario team have estimated that around 90,000 police punishments have been dished out as a result of the UK’s army of diligent ‘DIY traffic cops’.

If dash cam submissions from concerned citizens continue to rise in line with the current trajectory, British motorists could experience a ‘conviction boom’ with more fines and points dished out in 2024.

Google search data suggests that buying and installing dash cams in both private and commercial vehicles is growing in popularity, with 49,500 searches for “dash cam” in the UK per month on average. This is up 49% in the last three months, and up 22% in the last year.

Three-quarters of Brits (75%) believe that dash cams should be used by all drivers in a bid to clamp down on motoring offences, according to a survey of 2,000 by iCompario.

Despite this, just under one in three drivers (31%) currently use one.

Gen Z could well be sparking the DIY cops revolution, as the data revealed that a third of 18–24-year-olds already own a dash cam (35%), the most of any age group. On the other hand, just 16% of 65+ year-olds have one.

Over three quarters of those who have a camera in place (82%) have witnessed and captured illegal activity on the roads.

Almost half of those with a dash cam have caught other drivers red-handed using their phone while on the move (45%), which can bring six points on their licence and a £200 fine.

A third have seen other motorists running a red light (30%), which brings a minimum of three points on your licence and a £100 fine.

Most common illegal driving activity motorists have captured their dash cam – and the potential fines and points you can get from these:

Using phone while driving – 45% have caught video footage of drivers doing this (minimum 6 points and £200 fine), will lose licence if caught in first two years of passing test 

Speeding – 40% (minimum 3 points and £100 fine) 

Running a red light – 30% (minimum 3 points and £100 fine) 

Middle lane hogging – 29% (classed as ‘careless driving’ minimum 3 points and £100) 

Undertaking - 29% (classed as ‘careless driving’ minimum 3 points and £100) 

Spokesperson for iCompario, Andrew Davies said: “Dash cams are vital to improving road safety. They can prevent false claims, lower insurance and as our findings show, ensure those driving dangerously are held accountable.

“The data highlights how successful operation snap has been across England and Wales police forces with the strong upward trend of dash cam submissions to authorities. The public are now an extra eye on the roads and this should be a warning for all motorists that they could be caught on the dash cam footage of other drivers.

“Dash cam technology is constantly improving and they are likely to be used by more and more motorists, which will in turn help roads become safer.”

For more information, please visit: https://www.icompario.com/en-gb/guides/dash-cam-police-submission-statistics/