Hauliers using roads in Lincolnshire are being given dashcams by the police so that driving offences can be recorded and action taken against reckless motorists.
The plan is to cut the number of people killed or seriously injured on the country’s roads, which in the last 12 months was recorded as 414.
Lincolnshire’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) Marc Jones said he had now secured £45,000 to launch the project and “eradicate the problem”.
The scheme involves buying 100 dashcams and then distributing them to haulage firms and coach companies who regularly drive on the highest risk routes.
The PCC will be sending out letters to companies around Lincolnshire in the coming weeks asking them to volunteer to have the free cameras put in their vehicles.
Any footage collected on the dashcams showing driving offences will then be uploaded to a police website by the drivers and may be used to take action against the motorist.
The funding will also help pay for additional staffing in Lincolnshire road safety partnership to review the footage.
Jones said that if successful, the scheme could be extended to other road users and members of the public – creating a network of cameras designed to encourage change in driver behaviour and catch dangerous drivers.
Jones added that although the 414 serious and fatal collisions was a 5% reduction on the previous 12 months, more needed to be done:
“I am delighted that progress is being made but the current level of deaths and serious injuries on our roads is still unacceptable and leaves a trail of families devastated by loss or trauma,” he said.
“If we are to keep our residents safe we must both work smart and work together. Innovation and partnership are crucial to success and I would urge companies around the county to come forward and sign up.
“This project is about trying to change dangerous driver behaviour and save lives, not wrack up fines,” he added.
“This is just one step in the fight to combat this senseless loss of life and I will continue the work to eradicate this problem.”
The RHA said it welcomed the initiative: “We support police efforts to cut collisions and always urge operators to give officers dashcam footage to help prosecute offenders and make our roads safer,” said a spokesman.
