April 2008

50 Kent drivers shopped to website on BBC’s Inside Out

More than 50 drivers in Kent have now been shopped to a driving website that will feature on the BBC’s South East Inside Out programme this Friday (11th April).

BetterDrivingPlease.com was set up so anyone can report bad driving they see on local roads.

More than 10,000 reports have been made since the site was set up in 2006. Reporters note the number plate of the offending vehicle, what they did and where.

Reports from around this area include

• Maidstone: 8
• Brands Hatch: 38
• Canterbury: 2
• Tunbridge Wells: 1
• Ashford: 2
• Chatham: 3
• Gillingham: 1
• Folkestone: 1

Founder Andrew McGavin was recently filmed for the Inside Out report, and believes the roads are getting more and more dangerous.

He said: “Despite recent laws banning the use of handheld mobile phones at the wheel, and corporate manslaughter laws forcing companies to put in place better driving policies, our roads are more dangerous than ever.

“It’s now the norm to see dangerous driving on every journey you make. The message isn’t getting through to drivers and the police aren’t catching enough people. That’s what makes a database like this necessary.”

The full number plates and details of these incidents are available on BetterDrivingPlease.com.

New Zealand has a similar website. The statistics are stunning. Drivers reported there are 23 times more likely to crash within a year of being reported - proving to be an effective tool in identifying the worst drivers.

Andrew is currently talking to UK police chiefs about them checking their records against the BetterDrivingPlease.com database, then writing to offenders.

He added: "The more reports there are on the site, the more powerful a weapon it becomes against the small minority of stupid drivers who make it dangerous for the rest of us on the roads".

ENDS

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

• 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