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Alternatively ( and if we ’ re not quite ready to give up on our usual performance indicators just yet ) we would suggest stating the numbers caught alongside the numbers who did not need our attention , so providing a context or indication of the proportion of drivers who are offending and who , by implication , are ‘ the problem ’ for the rest of ‘ us ’. As we suggest in relation to reporting of offending by the public ( p128 ), a useful story here is the growing number of road users who support roads policing objectives to the extent that they are prepared to become part of the enforcement effort and report dangerous driving .
The sense that the majority oppose mobile use can also be promoted by offering drivers the chance to demonstrate their ‘ in-group ’ status . Later in this volume ( p102 ) we give examples of ‘ takeaway ’ items , such as in-car stickers , air fresheners or bumper stickers showing support for action against mobile phone use by drivers . The more of these endorsements ‘ out there ’, the more the sense is created that the social norm favours non-use . Projects that encourage reporting by members of the public could consider their own merchandise ( such as bumper stickers ) that allow drivers to promote the fact that they have a dash cam and are prepared to use it to support roads policing objectives . Engaging with large numbers of individuals and offering this form of ‘ takeaway ’ item increases the opportunity for this social recognition where the items are visible on the road . It also , of course , increases the perceived risk of detection for offenders , making every car a potential ‘ cop car ’.
CASE STUDY EXAMPLE As we ’ ve explored in more detail elsewhere , third party reporting projects such as Operation Snap ( see p128 ) are opportunities to make it clear that the driving public endorses roads policing – to the extent that it is willing to take part in that policing itself . Many police forces now provide the ability for individuals to report offending behaviour that they capture ( via dash cam , helmet cam , or mobile phone camera ) while using the roads . These online reporting capabilities have been developed in response to public demand , and should be publicised or discussed in these terms , rather than as a tool for ‘ catching people out ’ or ‘ doing the work of the police ’.