I have welcomed a new Government proposal that would see drivers report road accidents online, rather than at a police station.
Many police forces already allow victims to report crimes online, this proposal could extend the online reporting system to crashes in a bid to modernise the service.
The proposal is aimed at lessening the burden on motorists who have to report a crash in person within 24 hours, cut the need for people to take time off work and also free up police resources. People will still be able to report crashes at police stations. A 12 week consultation has been launched into the proposals.
We need to modernise the way we report accidents. This proposal is a great way to save police valuable time, reduce hassle for drivers, and cut costs.
Transport Minister Jesse Norman, who launched the consultation into the plans, said "our roads are among the safest in the world, in part due to the outstanding work of traffic officers. However, the current system is out of date; it takes up considerable amounts of time and increases queues for reporting crimes. The ability to report accidents online will make the whole process quicker and easier for both drivers and the police."
More than 130,000 personal-injury accidents are reported to the police each year with most recorded by an officer at the scene. But around 20% of these are made at police stations. A further 55,000 damage-only crashes were also reported over the counter in 2015.
The Department for Transport has also announced an updated system for officers to record crashes, which is being developed by and will be free for all police forces. The new Collision Reporting and Sharing System (CRASH) will see officers use an app on a handheld device to fill in details of accidents at the scene with accurate locations. This will not only make the process quicker and save police time, but highways authorities will also be able to access accurate and up to date information, meaning councils can better plan safety improvements and in a shorter time.