Dash Cams Help. They Are Not A Substitute For Traffic Police
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Dash cams went from novelty to normal in about a decade, helped along by television programmes and a steady supply of online footage. With that much recorded evidence available, an argument surfaced that there is less need for traffic officers on the road. The AA has pushed back on it, and rightly.
The Argument
The AA president wrote to the Police Federation making a straightforward point: the extra video evidence is a genuine positive, but it should not be used in any argument for cutting police numbers. A camera records an offence after it has happened. It does not stop a driver, it does not breathalyse anyone, it does not spot the car with no insurance three junctions earlier, and it cannot attend a collision.
Footage is evidence. Officers are enforcement. They are not interchangeable, and the argument matters because it is easy for a stretched force to reach for the cheaper of the two.
How Footage Reaches The Police
The National Dash Cam Safety Portal, run by Nextbase since 2018, is the route most people use. It is free, works with any camera, and sends footage directly to the relevant force — Nextbase says it does not view submissions itself.
The most recent published figures show more than 135,000 submissions in the portal’s first five years, with 33,531 in 2023 — a 30% rise on the year before — and 2024 running higher again. Nextbase estimates the portal has saved well over a hundred years of police time. Of the reports police act on, only a small proportion end in a court trial; most result in warning letters or driver education.
Most forces in England and Wales now accept video this way, though a handful are directly integrated with the portal and others prefer their own submission page. Check your own force before assuming.
What Makes Footage Useful
- The registration has to be readable. This is the single most common reason a submission goes nowhere. Resolution matters more than any other camera feature.
- Submit quickly. There are time limits for bringing many offences — typically within a fortnight for the initial notice — so a clip sitting on a memory card for a month is often worthless.
- Send the whole clip. Include the run-up, not just the moment. Context is what tells an officer whether what they are watching is dangerous or merely irritating.
- Do not edit or annotate it. Unaltered footage is stronger evidence.
Two Cameras Are Better Than One
Front-and-rear systems catch the rear-end impacts that are otherwise one driver’s word against another, and are worth the extra over a front-only unit. Cabin-facing cameras are mostly of interest to taxi and delivery drivers.
The police have used cameras on patrol cars for years for the same reasons, from road rage to phone use at the wheel.
Insurance
Some insurers offer a discount for a fitted dash cam, but it is far from universal and the saving is usually modest. The bigger financial benefit is in claims: clear footage settles a disputed liability quickly, which protects a no-claims discount and cuts out the argument entirely. Ask your own insurer rather than assuming a discount applies.
The Legal Side
Using a dash cam is legal, and for personal use the obligations are light. Mount it so it does not obstruct your view. Be aware you are recording other people: the Information Commissioner’s Office suggests private users tell passengers they are being recorded and think about signage, and advises keeping audio off except where there is a real safety reason.
If you use a camera for business — a van, a taxi, a company fleet — the duties are heavier. You will generally need to register with the ICO and pay the data protection fee, have a policy covering retention and access, and train staff. Do not keep footage indefinitely; about a week for anything that is not evidence of an incident is the usual guidance.
The ICO’s dash cam guidance was updated in May 2025 and is itself under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check the current version if you are setting up for a business.