In London, Mikey stops bad drivers on his bike and then sends videos of the offenses committed to the police. Investigators then analyze them and can even fine the drivers in question.
Britain’s roads are among the safest in the world. With “only” 26 deaths per million inhabitants in 2022, the United Kingdom has almost half as many road deaths as France and its 50 deaths per million inhabitants. But for many citizens, this is not enough.
In order to improve road safety, the British are taking isolated initiatives. This is the case of Michael van Erp, known to Londoners as CyclingMikey. Almost every day, he travels the streets of the capital by bike, looking for traffic violations.
“I have already caught 1,550 drivers and obtained 130,000 pounds in fines”
The teams of “We, the Europeans” (X) followed him in his hunt for bad drivers. With a GoPro attached to his head, Mikey doesn’t wait for the mistake, he tracks it down, sometimes even inside vehicles. A driver who finds it “weird“recognizes him and asks him why he does that.”For the safety“, Mikey responds without trembling, adding that he knows that “people really hate what he does“but that he no longer has the choice and that he”must continue to improve road safety“.”It’s my duty“, he concludes.
After observing and filming an offense, Mikey sends his video and report to the police, directly from his phone. The cyclist lists his interventions and is very proud of his results. “I have been keeping accounts since 2019. I have already caught 1,550 drivers, obtained 130,000 pounds in fines, and around 2,170 license points“, he lists. CyclingMikey also shares videos of his meetings with motorists on his YouTube channel, which has more than 100,000 subscribers.
“We receive more than a thousand videos per month”
All videos sent by Mikey and others end up in a dedicated police department. At the Stevenage police station, investigators analyze them every day. Running red lights, dangerous overtaking, drivers on the phone, and even fireworks going off from a car… the police receive a very large number of videos.
Kim Armitage, police investigator, takes as an example a video she received during the day. “It shows the red light and the vehicle running it, this is sufficient proof to charge“, she assures. This service, open for five years, continues to grow. “Currently, we receive more than a thousand videos per month, and that has probably doubled since 2018“, confirms Amanda Wrate, Director of Fines and Video Investigations for Hertfordshire County Council.
Extract from “United Kingdom: champion of road safety”, to be seen in “We, the Europeans” on December 14, 2023.
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