Police and university team up to study how dash and hat cameras can boost road-user safety

Keele University is working with Lincolnshire Police to explore how dashcam technology can be used to reduce road offending and improve road safety, including for vulnerable road users such as riders.

The project, funded by a grant from the Road Safety Trust, will investigate the opportunities and any challenges of the increasing public use of cameras. Some 6,000 pieces of footage are sent to police in England and Wales every month, “suggesting a growing public appetite for this approach as a way of making roads safer”, a Keele spokesman said.

“The research will explore this new development from the perspective of the police and of the public, engaging with forces across the UK, as well as a variety of road users including those who have submitted footage to the police,” the spokesman said. The study also aims to provide guidance on how the tech can best contribute to road safety, and on consistent handling of it.

Helen Wells, senior lecturer in criminology at Keele, said: “Growth in the use of dashcams and similar technologies shows that road users take road safety seriously and that they want the police to be involved in that. This important project will help us to understand more about the implications of road users policing each other in this way.”

Andy Cox, head of crime at Lincolnshire Police, said on average, five people die in road accidents in the UK every day.

“ Road death is preventable and therefore we do not have to accept this devastation,” he said. “The police cannot solve this alone and must work collaboratively with partners to reduce road danger. Additionally, we need the public’s support and this project seeks to evaluate the impact of enabling the public to report road crime via dashcam, headcam or a similar method.

“The police cannot be everywhere all of the time but the public can be and therefore I am confident this crucial work will identify the many benefits and further improve our approach in this area. I am excited to work with and support Keele University in undertaking the project and hugely grateful to the Road Safety Trust for its funding which has made this possible. In time, I believe the results will help understanding in this vital area and, as such, be an important component in eradicating road danger and making our roads safe.”

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