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Heart-stopping dashcam footage shows idiotic motorists

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Heart-stopping dashcam footage shows idiotic motorists in string of near misses with cars swerving across motorways and driving on the wrong side of the road

  • Clips were released by Northamptonshire Police of dangerous drivers
  • They encourage members of the public to submit footage to them online
  • It is part of Operation Snap, their clampdown on dangerous driving
  • Drivers seen swerving, cutting across traffic and on wrong side of road 

By Olivia Devereux-evans For Mailonline

Published: 19:14, 17 August 2022 | Updated: 19:27, 17 August 2022

Heart-stopping dashcam footage has been released by police which shows idiotic motorists in a string of near misses, including cars swerving across motorways and driving on the wrong side of the road.

Northamptonshire Police released the footage after a string of motorists were prosecuted for dangerous driving. 

One clip shows a huge HGV pulling onto the M1 with its rear door wide open before a pallet truck tumbles from the back and onto the motorway slip road. 

Another piece of footage released by officers shows a van driver nearly causing a crash as he swerved across traffic to exit a roundabout in the wrong lane. 

Elsewhere, another motorist cuts across traffic to exit the motorway at the last possible moment and another is seen on the wrong side of the road as they try to overtake a lorry. 

Northamptonshire Police encourage people to submit video evidence of incidents via an online portal which they then review as part of Operation Snap, their clampdown on dangerous driving. 

The footage released by Northamptonshire Police showed dangerous driving by motorists including cars swerving and almost hitting other cars The footage released by Northamptonshire Police showed dangerous driving by motorists including cars swerving and almost hitting other cars

The footage released by Northamptonshire Police showed dangerous driving by motorists including cars swerving and almost hitting other cars

In one clip, a van driver pulled out at the last second in front of another motorist and exited a roundabout in the wrong lane, pictured In one clip, a van driver pulled out at the last second in front of another motorist and exited a roundabout in the wrong lane, pictured

In one clip, a van driver pulled out at the last second in front of another motorist and exited a roundabout in the wrong lane, pictured 

Between January 1 and June 30 this year, a record number of 758 videos were submitted by 438 people compared to the 405 clips last year- this is an increase of 87 per cent. 

This year, a total of 482 Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) letters have been sent to registered vehicle owners compared to 200 in 2021. 

The Operation Snap campaign began three years ago so that people could report driving offences online.   

Northamptonshire Police were most commonly sent footage of people driving without due care and attention, with 281 clips of the offence.

This was then followed by footage of people failing to comply with red traffic lights.  

Northamptonshire Police also released a clip of a huge HGV pulling onto the M1 with its rear door wide open before a pallet truck tumbled from the back and onto the motorway slip road, pictured Northamptonshire Police also released a clip of a huge HGV pulling onto the M1 with its rear door wide open before a pallet truck tumbled from the back and onto the motorway slip road, pictured

Northamptonshire Police also released a clip of a huge HGV pulling onto the M1 with its rear door wide open before a pallet truck tumbled from the back and onto the motorway slip road, pictured

Safer Roads Team Operations Manager, Matthew O’Connell, said: ‘Alongside our Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance partners, improving the standard of driving and behaviour on our roads remains our priority.

‘Through education and enforcement, where necessary, we need to stop people putting themselves and other road users at risk because they do not believe they will get caught.

‘Since the launch of Operation Snap, we now have additional pairs of eyes helping us to keep our roads safer and the chances of getting caught for committing traffic offences has increased.

‘Over the past three years it has proved an invaluable tool and with the continued support of the public, we hope it encourages all road users to use our road network legally and responsibly, to help improve road safety across the county.’

A separate part of the video showed a car on the wrong side of the road as it tried to overtake a lorry, pictured A separate part of the video showed a car on the wrong side of the road as it tried to overtake a lorry, pictured

A separate part of the video showed a car on the wrong side of the road as it tried to overtake a lorry, pictured