Factfile

BetterDrivingPlease.com factfile: updated July 2008

BetterDrivingPlease.com is a website where members of the public can report motorists they have seen driving badly.

The site was set up in 2006 by road safety campaigner Andrew McGavin

He is aiming to build a UK database of road offences that is transparent – anyone can see it and add to it

As of 1st July 2008:

• 14,000 reports of bad driving have been posted

• By 7,652 registered members

• 1.5 million people have visited or searched the website

Research in New Zealand showed that drivers reported to a similar scheme were 23 times more likely to crash than other drivers in the year following being reported

Andrew’s ultimate aim is that the police will start to check their records against the BetterDrivingPlease.com database, and write to offenders

He is working to promote the scheme to senior police officers who are evaluating the system

He has support for the concept in the House of Lords from Police Peer Lord Condon and Baroness D’Souza. Casualty Reduction Partnerships are also interested in partnering with BDP

The website is free. Anybody who witnesses bad driving of any kind can register and submit a report

Each report can be categorised as red, amber or green, according to how serious it is. The site is fully searchable, by number plate, location or by road name

Andrew is currently increasing the number of verified members of the website. They pay £1 to verify their identity, and make the bad driving reports they supply more useful to the police

Press contact: Paul Green at Publicity Heaven on 08452 303049. Email press@publicityheaven.com

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