The world’s largest video hosting site YouTube is beginning to play a larger role in the prosecution of dangerous drivers. An ongoing internet craze sees ‘boy racers’ bragging about the abilities of themselves and their cars, posting videos of races, speeding and dangerous driving.
Authorities have been using the videos in an attempt to prove that drivers were breaking the law but have faced difficulties as the footage does not always confirm all of the factors that would lead to a prosecution.
The video must be able to prove who was driving, where they were driving, how fast they were driving and the car they were driving in. They would subsequently need to be able to prove the car’s speedometer was calibrated and all other factors could not be variable.
An Australian motorcyclist was recently prosecuted when Canberra police discovered a video he had posted online driving at over 200km/h in a 60km/h zone. There was much dispute however as the video consisted of a camera pointed directly at the motorbikes speedometer and showed no proof that it was him, his bike, or on Canberra roads.
A teenager from Burnley has been convicted of speeding due to a video he posted online in which he apparently reaches speeds in excess of 140mph on the M65. 18 year old Naythan Campbell used a mobile phone to record himself racing down the motorway using the hard shoulder to undertake other motorists.
The footage, filmed on his mobile phone did not provide enough evidence that Campbell was behind the wheel or that it was even his car but is been Jailed for four months with a 3 year driving ban as a deterrent to other young drivers as copycat cases are putting other road users at risk and encouraging a wave of motoring crime.
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