Birmingham tops 'crash for cash' postcodes hotspots

Birmingham has topped the UK's "crash for cash" postcode league for the second time in a year.

'crash for cash' scams are run by fraudsters who manufacture collisions with other road users with a  view to profit from insurance claims.

The league table is compiled by the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), Birmingham had 10 of the top 30 postcodes for the crime.

Top crash for cash locations in 2017

1. Birmingham
2. Bradford
3. Manchester
4. London
5. Oldham
6. Liverpool
7. Bolton
8. Sheffield
9. Wakefield

Out of Birmingham's 10 postcodes on the list. Washwood Heath, Aston and Small Heath were the three worst postcodes for the crime in the UK.

In Bradford, Frizinghall and Manningham came joint fourth for the numbers of fraudulent claims, while in Manchester the M8 postcode, which includes Cheetham Hill, was ranked sixth.

The data applies to the past 12 months. In total, there were 55,573 personal injury claims linked to scams in the UK, the IFB said, costing the insurance industry a total of £340m a year.

For more information on this story see this BBC.

Driver caught on dashcam throwing Rolo wrapper from car window given £80 fine

A driver has had an £80 fine handed out to them after being caught throwing a Rolo wrapper out of their car window in Somerset.

Another motorist reported the litterer after the incident was captured on their dashcam.  The driver handed the film footage to South Somerset District Council, the offender was then found using the offending car's number plate.

After being invited in for an interview under caution, the offender admitted to throwing litter from their car and has now been issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of £80 for the offence.

Councillor Carol Goodall, portfolio holder for environmental health said: "This is a great example of how modern technology is helping local authorities tackle issues such as littering and that if you are willing to commit an offence in public, you'll ultimately pay the price.

"If you see others throwing litter from a car, let the district council know and if possible tell us where it was thrown from and how many people were in the vehicle."

Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, it is an offence to drop or leave litter on the floor, and this includes cigarette butts.

Dropping litter can result in a Fixed Penalty Notice being issued.

Dashcam footage helps to catch burglars

Two burglars in Mansfield have been sentenced for a combined total of more than eight years after dashcam footage helped secure the conviction.

37 year old Sefton Brown, formerly of David Street in Kirkby-in-Ashfield and 36 year old John Shaw from Mansfield Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield, burgled an elderly couple’s house in Chesterfield Road South on 27 July 2016.

Shaw, who was found guilty of burglary by the jury, was jailed for four years and six months. Brown, who pleaded guilty to burglary, was jailed for three years and eight months.

Leicester Crown Court heard how the victims had their front door open because of the heat. A short time later they noticed a wallet had been taken from their hallway.

They realised they had been burgled after a passing motorist stopped at their home to tell them she had seen two men acting suspiciously and entering their front garden – which she had recorded on her dashcam.

The lady told the court how she had continued to record the men walking down the road and looking through the stolen wallet before they threw items into a bin. When she checked the bin she found photos from the victim’s wallet.

Speaking after Shaw and Brown were sentenced, Detective Constable Luke Todd, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

"These were vulnerable victims who should have felt safe and secure in their own home. I’m pleased with the sentences given which go to show that we will pursue those who commit burglary."

The judge also commended the actions of the witnesses in securing the evidence which helped massively with proving the case.

 

 

Car Left For MOT was Caught Speeding in Dashcam Footage

Vertu Motors has apologised after a staff member was caught speeding by the dashcam in a customers car.

Aguri DX10 - Popular Dash Cam

Andrew Siggens complained when his Nissan Juke’s camera showed a Bristol Street Motors’ staff member allegedly travelling at 54mph on a 40mph road.


“I was disgusted when I saw it - it certainly was a shock to see,” he told Gazette Live.
He left the car at the Darlington dealership on November 15 for its MoT.


“I am aspiring to become a police officer in the very near future,” said Siggens.
“Had I not had a dashcam and been landed with points on my driving licence due to a speed camera picking this up, I’d have been seriously prejudiced for my hopes of joining the police force.”


A spokeswoman for Vertu Motors told Gazette Live an investigation had been carried out.
She said: “We regret the incident at our dealership in Darlington and have conducted a thorough internal investigation in line with our company policy and procedures.


“Action has been taken with the colleague concerned and additional training has been completed by the team to ensure there is no repeat of this event.”

Woman drives along casually with a tree embedded in her bonnet

I was sure that this one was going to be some kind of a joke, It had to be a picture of a car crashed in to a 15ft tree - stationary and not going anywhere, especially this size.  Well i've watched the video and I can confirm that this woman did indeed manage to drive along as if nothing was wrong - until she was stopped by the police!

She was drunk OBVIOUSLY!

Police in Illinois released the unusual dashcam footage of the vehicle motoring along a road with the branches of the tree spiking out far above it.

Upon approaching the car, the officer found airbags had deployed following the collision with the tree.

The driver, who has been named in reports as 54-year-old Maryann Christy, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Roselle Illinois Police Department released photos and video on its Facebook page, confirming the bizarre incident occurred a few weeks ago. The department added the warning: "Yet another reason why you should not drink and drive!"

Dangerous driver is first to be jailed by dashcam footage after motorist video of his reckless overtaking

James Stocks, 24, of Cheshire has become the first person in the UK to be jailed by dashcam footage after a video showing his reckless overtaking move that forced a Ford Transit van off the road was posted online.

Mr Stocks was handed an eight-month sentence after he pulled off two heart-stopping overtakes on the A495 in Shropshire back in April.

The out-of-control driver's black Volkswagen Golf nipped past a silver Ford Ka on a blind bend, causing the Transit van to take emergency action and swerve on to a verge.

The landmark case is believed to be the first time that a dangerous driver has been convicted using dashcam footage posted by a member of the public.

Matt Stockdale, chairman of PoliceWitness, said: 'I formed PoliceWitness after I was almost killed by a reckless HGV driver.

'Frustrated that there were no police to witness what had occurred, I decided to empower the public to assist the police, in order to hold those who flout the law to account.

'To date, nearly 1,000 motorists up and down the country have faced positive formal police action following the submission of dashcam footage by those who call themselves PoliceWitnesses.

'Being banned from driving, or even losing your job following a moment of madness, has often been described as the ultimate price to pay having been caught on video by a dash cam.

'But this case has resulted in a driver losing their liberty and freedom - and in my view rightly so.' 

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Collision at Junction DashCam 13 Sep 2015

Ouch that had to hurt! at least with the footage provided by the dash cam he didnt have to worry about the other driver making any false claims.It doesn't mention in Umar Raja's post much about the incident  - what junction etc but this is a fairly standard accident that happens all the time