‘Drive like you’re being filmed,’ warn
expert video analysts following
latest dashcam conviction
A Tesla driver who narrowly missed another vehicle while overtaking at speed with his daughter in the car received a suspended jail sentence and was ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work after the offence was captured on a dashcam.
David Evans was also disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay £1500, after he carried out the dangerous manoeuvre in his grey Tesla model X Ludicrous Performance, on the A477 between Llanddowror and Redroses, on March 6, 2020.
Video footage of the offence, which was submitted to police by a member of the public, showed Mr Evans of West Williamston, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire, overtaking a row of stationary vehicles at a temporary set of traffic lights. The lights had just turned green as Mr Evans completed the overtake and he narrowly missed a vehicle pulling away into the filtered lane that he was travelling in.
As members of not-for-profit company, Road Safety Support, Dyfed Powys Police, requested the help of its forensic video analysis expert, Steve Callaghan. Mr Callaghan examined the video and was able to determine that Mr Evans had been travelling at an average speed of 79mph and continued to accelerate.
Following identification of the driver, Mr Evans was interviewed and denied the allegation of dangerous driving, disagreeing with the recorded speed calculation and stating he would not drive dangerously when his daughter was in the car.
Mr Evans continued to deny the offence claiming that the road signage was inadequate, along with a number of other defences. He eventually pleaded guilty prior to a full trial.
Upon sentencing at Swansea Crown Court on April 22, 2022, Mr Evans received eight months’ imprisonment suspended for 15 months, ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work, to pay prosecution costs of £1500 and disqualified from driving for 18 months.
After the case, Steve Callaghan said: “There was sufficient information in this very short film to show the excessive speed used by Mr Evans and how that contributed to the manner of his driving in a way that justified the dangerous driving charge.
“The alarm of the driver of the car that was overtaken is not surprising given the speed. After a sustained defence the speed and nature of the driving shown in the video have eventually compelled Evans to plead guilty.
“The power of the video evidence is clear. As dashcams are now used widely on vehicles, hopefully this will compel all drivers to drive carefully to avoid being similarly reported.”
