Dashcam site exposes innocent drivers to ridicule – RAC
Roadside cover from £5.29 a month*
• FREE MOT on selected cover – worth up to £55†
• We get to most breakdowns in 60 mins or less
• Our patrols fix 4/5 breakdowns
*At least 10% of new customers pay this for single-vehicle Roadside (Basic). †T&Cs apply.
*At least 10% of new customers pay this for single-vehicle Roadside (Basic). †T&Cs apply.
A divisive website carrying over 7,000 pages of pictures and videos of bad driving is attracting criticism from the motoring world.
The Rate-driver website offers a forum for motorists to post dashcam footage of road rage, selfish parking and other things that have annoyed them on the roads, along with the offending car’s registration number.
The RAC says incidents of dangerous driving should “unquestionably be reported to the police,” arguing sites like this have the potential to be misused.
READ MORE: Dash cams guide - installation, insurance and recording abroad
RAC spokesman Simon Williams sees the value of dashcam video, which is increasingly being accepted by police as evidence.
But he argues that a one-off mistake is not fair grounds for a law-abiding driver to receive online abuse, or worse.
“Frustration may arise if officers don't take action and this website could be a product of that, as well as the growing use of dashcams,” he argues. “But it does seem wrong that one innocent mistake could lead to the driver in question being ridiculed on the web.”
Mr Williams points out that good drivers should have little to worry about with regard to being caught on another driver’s camera.
“On the other hand, some number plates appear on this site so frequently that you would think the driver concerned should be spoken to by the police,” he adds.
Dangerous driving and traffic cameras were in the news last week after it emerged Australia is targeting at-the-wheel phone use with specialised cameras, in a move which could be trialled worldwide if successful.
IN OTHER NEWS: New laws could ban driver distractions in autonomous cars
The Rate-driver site – which declined a request for comment from the Daily Mail – compiles a monthly top 10 of the most complained-about motorists.
Thousands of drivers have used it to share stories of the anti-social driving they have experienced – with some uploading images of vehicles they claim have smashed into them.
Others bemoan the wrongful use of disabled parking spaces, with one poster claiming: “It upsets me that people like this don't seem to care what they do affects some of us.”
You might also like
Air pollution tab should not be picked up by drivers - MP
The UK needs to “get smarter” in its war against air pollution, according to the chairwomen of the alliance charged with developing the Government’s strategy.
Drivers in England spend over a million hours a year on the road
English motorists drove the equivalent of almost 1,000 return trips to Mars in 2016 – showing the demand for investment in road improvements.
Huge pothole ‘takes out’ five cars in just one hour
An enormous pothole caused serious damage to five vehicles in the space of just one hour after it opened up on a busy A-road in Stoke-on-Trent.
.jpg%3Fwidth%3D500%26quality%3D100%26crop%3D16%253A9%26gravity%3Dcenter&w=1920&q=75)
New laws could ban driver distractions in autonomous cars
Drivers across the United Kingdom should be banned from any activities deemed distracting when using self-driving vehicles, findings from a new study suggest.
Popular in News
1
EV car batteries last longer than expected, according to new study
2
Vehicle breakdowns where poor roads were to blame rose 15% last year
3
Vaping in cars with children could be banned
4
Graduated driving licences set to be introduced in Northern Ireland
5
Quarter of drivers say they’ve suffered vehicle crime
6
More than 2,500 motorists caught drink-driving three or more times in the last 11 years
7
Government extends home EV charger grant to 2027
8
Four-in-five drivers concerned about dazzling headlights as darker evenings arrive
9
Council pothole claims rise by 90% in three years
10