April 2008

Road safety website offered to police force that criticised it

The founder of a road safety website “condemned” by a police force has offered the site/concept to the Police to help officers do a better job policing the roads.

BetterDrivingPlease.com has been criticised by Thames Valley Police in media reports today.

On the site anyone can report a driver they spot breaking the law by logging their number plate and details of the offence in a searchable database.

11,000 drivers have been shopped to the website in the last 18 months and it is beginning to compile multiple reports upon the same registrations from different members of the public. They are offering these to the Police to be investigated.

The site’s founder Andrew McGavin said Thames Valley Police’s own figures show it is getting worse at some aspects of road policing – and he wants to help the force improve.

He said: “In New Zealand there is a similar website to BetterDrivingPlease.com that is run by the police. They find it an invaluable way to identify dangerous drivers, as research shows a driver is 23 times more likely to crash within a year of being reported.”

The BetterDrivingPlease.com website concept has support in the House of Lords from Lord Condon, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

One of BetterDrivingPlease.com’s registered users made a Freedom of Information request to Thames Valley Police.

The information showed 9,341 fixed penalty notices were issued for using a handheld mobile phone in 2006.

But in 2007 only 6,046 notices were issued, despite a new law in February 2007 with a stricter punishment.”

Andrew added: “Drivers know the risk of them being caught doing something wrong on the roads is low, so they take frequent risks, such as using a handheld mobile phone. The Police need help and BetterDrivingPlease.com is an excellent tool for them.

“This is a genuine offer to Thames Valley Police to take control of the website for their area, and use it to catch more drivers blatantly breaking the law on our roads.”

ENDS

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

• You can see today’s original news report here
  For any further information, quotes or interviews, a BetterDrivingPlease.com spokesman is available. Please email press@publicityheaven.com or call Paul Green on 08452 303049
• To find specific reports of bad driving, go to www.BetterDrivingPlease.com and enter the area in the Keyword search box
• You are welcome to publish any information you find on the website
• A factfile, logo, screenshots and other press resources are available online at http://www.betterdrivingplease.com/press.asp