Kent truck driver banned after road rage incident on Warwickshire motorway sparks police warning
Police urge Kent drivers to get a dashcam and submit footage rather than confront poor driving
A lorry driver from Kent has been banned from driving for three years after a road rage incident on the M40 in Warwickshire, with police now urging Kent motorists who spot poor driving to capture it and submit the footage to police.
The 38-year-old Kent driver was caught on dashcam in February blocking the outside lane of the motorway before getting out to confront another motorist.
The video, submitted by the other driver to Operation Snap, led to Warwickshire Police reviewing the footage and bringing the case to court.
The man was sentenced at Coventry Magistrates’ Court on 14th October, receiving a driving ban, 250 hours of unpaid supervised work and a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Police say ‘capture it – don’t confront it’
Warwickshire Police’s Road Safety Unit Manager, Inspector Dave Valente, described his reaction to the footage as “alarming” and warned about the dangers of allowing frustration to spill over behind the wheel.
“He put himself and other users in extreme danger,” Valente said. “Whatever his reasons, they were irrelevant compared to the risk and the danger put on himself and other road users.”
Valente urged drivers to focus on safe, careful and considerate driving, especially when witnessing poor behaviour from others.
“It’s really important that all drivers drive safely. If you see other drivers behaving inappropriately, don’t get frustrated or react angrily. That’s when you stop concentrating and risk a crash,” Valente said.
Instead of confronting or trying to film others using a mobile phone while driving – which is illegal – Valente says dashcams are a safer way to document what happens on the road.
“We encourage people to capture poor driving on dashcams and submit it through Operation Snap or their local force website. Let police deal with it.”
Dashcam reporting in Kent
Although Operation Snap is widely used by police across the UK, not every force calls it the same thing. Valente advises Kent drivers who witness dangerous driving to submit video via the Kent Police website.
“Every force in the UK has a website where road-related incidents can be reported with footage,” Valente said. “If there isn’t a specific Operation Snap in Kent, evidence captured on dashcam can still be submitted and reviewed.”
Dashcams, now owned by around 20 percent of road users, are becoming increasingly popular and police say they make reporting easier and safer.
Thousands of reports and strong advice for drivers
Warwickshire Police have received over 3,000 dashcam submissions just this year through Operation Snap, leading to court action in more serious cases like this one, as well as warnings and referrals in lower-level offences.
Valente praised the Kent driver who submitted footage in this case for staying calm and not escalating the confrontation. “It’s credit to that person that they remained calm and didn’t get drawn into a dispute,” he said.
Police in both Kent and Warwickshire are reminding drivers that capturing evidence safely is always preferable – and that dangerous or aggressive driving should be reported, not confronted.