By Joshua Robinson – 

In the past three years, West Yorkshire road users sent in almost 20,000 reports of careless and dangerous driving under a nationwide police campaign.

West Yorkshire Police collects reports under Operation SNAP, a streamlined process designed to allow members of the public to submit photos and videos.

Accident Claims Advice obtained information from 29 police forces that are taking part in the scheme. Between them, 187,813 cases were logged between the start of 2021 and April 2024.

To read Accident Claims Advice research, please visit: https://www.accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk/

The increase in reports – 42,065 in 2021/22, 61,670 in 2022/23, and 78,868 in 2023/24 – highlights the public’s increasing interest in helping the police catch dangerous drivers in the act.

Adding the 51,678 reports received by Sussex Police under Operation Crackdown, their own scheme adjacent to SNAP, more than 200,000 cases were confirmed as being sent in by the public at an annual average of more than 66,000.

Driver Education Recommended for Over 10,000 Road Users

West Yorkshire Police took the second-highest number of reports out of the 29 forces surveyed. Their tally of 19,729 reports was only smaller than the 19,949 received by Avon and Somerset Police.

It was considerably more than the number collected by North Yorkshire Police (5,210) and Humberside Police (3,270).

The figures suggest that West Yorkshire residents have become more and more invested in the reporting scheme. 4,598 submissions were made in 2021/22, followed by 6,840 in 2022/23, and 8,291 in 2023/24.

West Yorkshire Police determined that action was merited in 69% of cases, with the rest being marked for no further action.

54% of all reports led to the police recommending that the driver be enrolled in an educational course. While that was the case for 10,628 drivers, almost 3,000 cases were deemed worthy of further action.

124 cases were sent for further investigation and 2,483 recommendations were made for a Conditional Order (CO). A CO can be one or multiple conditions required to avoid court, including fines.

In 278 cases, court action was the immediate recommendation. The number of offences West Yorkshire Police suggested court summons for fell from 113 in 2021/22 to 66 in 2023/24, while the number of education course recommendations rose by 96% in the same period.

Leeds Leads in SNAP Reports

West Yorkshire Police categorised reports as coming from one of the five districts of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield.

Over a third of all reports were attributed to Leeds, with 7,777 cases of driving offences alleged by fellow road users.

Behind Leeds, Bradford was a leading source of reports, with the police logging 4,664 cases. Then followed Kirklees (2,848), Wakefield (2,313), and Calderdale (1,678).

The main cause of identified reports by some distance was driving without reasonable consideration for others, an offence which was flagged 5,350 times.

Driving without due care and attention was noted as the offence on 3,178 occasions.

740 West Yorkshire road users were caught out jumping a red light, while the number of people spotted using their phone while driving leapt from just 9 in 2021/22 to 319 in 2023/24, for a three-year total of 461 reports.

Infographic Credit: Accident Claims Advice

The 10 Vehicle Models Identified Most in SNAP Reports

1. Volkswagens – 2452 reports
2. Ford – 2,222 reports
3. Audi – 1,566 reports
4. BMW – 1,478 reports
5. Mercedes-Benz – 1,378 reports
6. Vauxhall – 1349 reports
7. Toyota – 1211 reports
8. Land Rover – 635 reports
9. Peugeot – 633 reports
10. Nissan – 587 reports

Other vehicle types registered in the SNAP reports were HGVs and lorries, vans, motorcycles, pedal cycles, buses and ATVs or quad bikes. 10 tractors, one ambulance, a crop-spraying vehicle, a crane, and an MEV kit car were also subjects of complaints.

Top 10 Police Forces for Operation SNAP Reports

• Avon and Somerset – 19,949
• West Yorkshire – 19,729
• West Midlands – 16,457*
• Essex – 14,723
• Greater Manchester – 13,013
• West Mercia – 11,798
• Warwickshire – 9,181*
• South Wales – 8,287
• Lancashire – 7,778
• Hertfordshire – 6,692

*The police force provided the number of reports in each calendar year. Otherwise, the report figures cover the April-April period of 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24.

Accident Claims Advice operates a 24/7 legal guidance service for people injured as a result of careless or dangerous driving.

Their phone and online support channels can be reached at no charge.

To learn more about Accident Claims Advice, please visit: https://www.accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk/

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