Skip to main content

Highways England urged to make CCTV of “swerve to avoid” crashes available to insurers

With distracted driving causing a dramatic rise in ‘swerve to avoid’ crashes, Claims Management & Adjusting (CMA) has welcomed a clarification by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) that traffic flow CCTV is not personal data. In a stance criticised by drivers, fleet operators and insurers, Highways England has apparently used the Data Protection Act to justify the deletion of footage after only seven days, even when it might prove liability in a serious accident. It has also cited the cost of st
March 17, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
With distracted driving causing a dramatic rise in ‘swerve to avoid’ crashes, Claims Management & Adjusting (CMA) has welcomed a clarification by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) that %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal traffic flow CCTV Visit Highways England website false http://www.englandhighways.co.uk/hazards/the-careless/ false false%> is not personal data.

In a stance criticised by drivers, fleet operators and insurers, 8101 Highways England has apparently used the Data Protection Act to justify the deletion of footage after only seven days, even when it might prove liability in a serious accident. It has also cited the cost of storing the recordings.

According to CMA managing director, Philip Swift, a former police detective, law abiding road users should also be concerned about the sharp increase in swerve to avoid incidents and the legal, financial and administrative headache which frequently ensues.

Swift says that in incidents such as those where a driver crashes into the barrier after taking evasive action to avoid a driver veering towards him, it is often the victim who is pursued, completely unfairly, for the barrier repair costs, while the negligent party is never traced.

“Including any relevant CCTV with these claims from the start would help ensure it is the truly at-fault who pick up the bill, rather than the victims of distracted driving or the taxpayer. In light of the ICO’s advice, surely it is time for Highways England to retain and make this footage available to insurers?” he concludes.
UTC

Related Content

  • April 1, 2019
    ChargePoint to provide EV chargers at Morrisons stores
    ChargePoint Services is to install its GeniePoint Network electric vehicle (EV) chargers across all Morrisons supermarkets in the UK. ChargePoint says its 50-100kW rapid chargers will allow customers to refuel their EV in around 20 minutes. The firm’s managing director Alex Bamberg says: “By offering another useful local service, customers are provided with choice for grocery, café and comfort stops, and green vehicle refuelling.” The first chargers will be running by the end of this month and 100 are e
  • September 11, 2019
    Washington Post game highlights AV flaws
    Mind the kangaroos! That is among the more surprising suggestions in a new entertainment which purports to illustrate the pitfalls of autonomous vehicles (AVs). US media giant The Washington Post has created a short interactive game which “shows readers how autonomous cars function and breaks down the technology to educate viewers about their limitations and challenges”. These include sensor blind spots and confusion over what other road users are about to do. The five-minute game takes the form of a jou
  • October 23, 2012
    TRL and TomTom announce partnership on Congestion Index
    TRL and TomTom have announced here at the ITS World Congress that they have launched a new partnership to offer more detailed analyses of the results published in TomTom’s quarterly Congestion Index which covers major metropolitan areas in Europe and North America. The partners say the collaboration will see the Congestion Index being put to practical use in solving local congestion issues. TRL traffic consultants are able to work with detailed TomTom data to produce customised analysis which meets the need
  • March 25, 2014
    WDM partnerships target safer roads
    UK highway asset management specialist WDM is working in partnership with a British Government agency as well as the New Zealand Road Transport Agency to help reduce road deaths. One key focus that the partners have developed in New Zealand is a skid resistance policy, with a special Sideway-force Routine Investigation Machines (SCRIM) built to evaluate road surface performance. Using the SCRIM equipment to monitor New Zealand’s state highway network has helped identify areas of poor skid resistance, allow