Local constituency MSP Finlay Carson has renewed his call for the roll-out of a dashcam footage scheme in Scotland.
At present, Police Scotland is not linked to the NextBase Web page where drivers can anonymously upload incidents and evidence of dangerous driving unlike police forces in England and Wales.
His demand comes after His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, Craig Naylor expressed serious concerns over the decrease of enforcement activity despite an increase in casualties.
Latest statistics reveal that 155 people were killed last year across Scotland with a further 1,930 seriously injured while more than 3700 were slightly injured.
Mr Naylor has now urged Police Scotland to review its commitment towards road policing especially as the number of officers covering the country’s roads had fallen from 700 in 2013 to 500.
Among his 13-strong recommendations is that Police Scotland should progress the facility for members of the public to report road traffic offences by directly uploading journey-cam footage.
The move has been welcomed by the Galloway and West Dumfries MSP who wrote earlier this year to the Chief Constable questioning the logic of not being involved in the scheme.
Mr Carson said: “I wrote to the Chief Constable after being approached by a constituent who happened to be a retired Road Policing Trainer who found it strange Police Scotland was not involved in the scheme.
“While a Digital Evidence Sharing Capability Programme is currently being piloted in Dundee it has not gone national yet which is a pity given the alarming road statistics.
“I had asked if the pilot phase could be extended to Dumfries and Galloway given the poor accident record along the A75, in particular, but this was rejected.”
Highlighting the region’s poor record when it comes to accidents, the Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP believes some motorists pay scant regard towards speeding because the roads are in a rural setting.
He added: “Unfortunately far too many take risks thinking they are the only ones on the road and this inevitably leads to more accidents.
“I think it is imperative that Police Scotland brings forward its dashcam scheme as quickly as possible in a bid to reduce the carnage on our roads.
“I have now written again seeking information as to when this scheme will finally be considered.”
