This incident captures a moment of reckless driving when a motorist dangerously uses a slip road to undertake another vehicle. However, it’s the reaction of another driver that has truly stirred public anger.
In dashcam footage submitted to Devon and Cornwall Police, a series of cars are seen traveling along the A30 in Cornwall. One impatient driver suddenly appears, barreling down the slow lane at high speed.
The driver then swerves onto the slip road to pass a lorry before disappearing into the distance.
Eventually, law enforcement caught up with the offender, who received a fine and three penalty points.
Devon and Cornwall Police shared the video on social media, but it was the actions of the driver who recorded the clip that drew the most criticism.
Viewers quickly accused the person behind the camera of “hogging the overtaking lane,” sparking widespread debate online.
Dashcam footage, shared with Devon and Cornwall Police, shows a number of vehicles travelling along the A30 in Cornwall when one impatient motorist then appears into frame careering down the slow lane at speed
The offending driver was eventually caught by police and given a fine as well as three penalty points. But after the video was shared online people were quick to accuse the driver who filmed the footage of ‘hogging the overtaking lane’
Ash Turner said: ‘Did the dashcam submitter get prosecuted for lane hogging too as per rule 264 of the Highway Code?’
Josh Walk added: ‘The camera car should definitely be prosecuted for lane hogging there’s no reason to be in that lane.
‘If the argument is he was coming up to the HGV to be able to overtake then that means any vehicle can sit in the overtaking lane if they see a vehicle, however far in front because they plan on overtaking it.
‘You cannot prosecute on one rule and not the other otherwise what is the point in having rules?’
The response of some users to the clip prompted officers to submit a longer video to show the motorist who supplied the footage was driving appropriately having pulled into the fast lane to overtake the same lorry ahead.
A spokesperson for Devon & Cornwall Police Road Safety Team said people were pointing the finger at the responsible motorist while ‘totally ignoring’ the ‘real bad driver’.
They added: ‘For all of you who complained about the camera car “hogging the overtaking lane”, please take a look at an extended clip.
‘Also, please get some perspective and think about who was the real bad driver in this situation.
‘Totally ignoring the horrific standard of driving from the car in front. In this clip, you can clearly see the camera car was in lane one prior to the incident and moves across to lane two when the slower-moving HGV comes into view.
‘Hopefully this will reassure the commenters who somehow felt the camera car was in the wrong.’
Other motorists backed the police and came out in defence of the driver who supplied the dashcam footage.
Richard Warwicker said: ‘My take on what I see here, the cam car has seen what’s ahead, planned ahead, and moved over when there is a space to do so in advance.’
The footage was submitted by the anonymous driver as part of the Operation Snap initiative.
In this case, it resulted in the offending driver receiving a fine and three penalty points.
The police originally posted online: ‘This dashcam clip was submitted to us by a member of the public using Operation Snap.
‘However frustrated you may be at other vehicles travelling slower than you, driving in this manner is completely unacceptable.
‘There are so many things that could have happened here to instantly turn this into a fatal collision scene.
‘The driver was identified and admitted careless driving.
‘They were fined and received three penalty points on their driving licence.
‘Please exercise patience when driving. Particularly on dual carriageways, an opportunity to overtake slower moving vehicles will soon present itself if you wait for a few seconds.’
