DRAMATIC footage captured the moment a driver smashes into oncoming traffic after his dodgy bid to overtake a lorry backfired.
Norman Chai from Woking, Surrey, was sentenced for causing a serious road collision that left four people with severe injuries.
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The 66-year-old man was overtaking an HGV on the A30 near Rawridge, Devon before he lost control on the wet road.
Dashcam footage from the lorry captured the moment the driver skidded into the opposite lane, colliding with two vehicles.
The video showed Chai speeding past the lorry through the filter lane before attempting to merge back onto the road ahead of the HGV.
However, the slippery conditions caused the 66-year-old to lose control, swerving into oncoming traffic.
The footage also captured the horrific collision, leaving all three cars totalled from the crash.
Chai had been travelling with his wife and mother-in-law to Cornwall when he lost control of the car in the wet conditions.
The horror crash, which occurred in November 2022, resulted in multiple serious injuries, including Chai and the passengers in his car.
The 66-year-old appeared at Exeter Crown Court earlier this year, where he received a two-year suspended sentence for causing serious injuries through dangerous driving.
Chai was also tagged for three months, fined £2,000, banned from driving for three years and ordered to take an extended driving test.
Police released the dashcam footage to highlight the dangers of reckless driving.
Sergeant Troy Bennett of the Serious Collision Investigations Team said: “Norman Chai’s actions on the 26 November 2022 had catastrophic consequences.
“This was done during heavy rain with wet roads and was a highly dangerous and egregious manoeuvre resulting in serious injuries to people, including Chai himself, occupants of his own car, and those in the oncoming vehicles he struck.
“The dashcam footage of the collision released by us today demonstrates how quickly things can go devastatingly wrong when you drive dangerously.”
The number of dashcam footage sent to police has risen by 77 per cent in just two years.
Dangerous behaviour on the road is caught out by fellow drivers who submit their video evidence.
According to a Freedom of Information request based on 26 out of 43 regional police offices in England and Wales, there has been a surge of dashcam submissions that highlight dodgy driving.
In 2023, an average of 342 pieces of dashcam footage were sent to the police every day – that is 72,000 videos a year.
The number of submissions has grown steadily each year since the police introduced an Operation Snap portal in 2017.
The online portal has been created to allow motorists to instantly report unlawful driving to the cops along with evidence of the act itself.
The system was created to assist police in taking action against those who put other road users at risk – and so far, it has proven to be successful.
Around 70 per cent of dash cam footage sent by motorists has resulted in police action.
The cops have issued warning letters, penalty points, prosecutions, fines and sometimes even jail time to dangerous drivers.
At least 90,000 fines have reportedly been administered thanks to the motorists on patrol.
If data from all police offices had been taken into account, the number would likely be higher with drivers being slapped with fines and penalties.
A staggering 176,000 pieces of dash cam evidence, which depict incidents of reckless or illegal driving, were turned in over the previous three years, according to the FOI.
South Yorkshire has had a 1,882 percent increase in submissions over the last two years, making it one of the locations in England and Wales leading the dash cam charge.
Humberside had a jump of 205 per cent, while Hampshire saw a 469 per cent increase.
Warwickshire and Lincolnshire rounded out the top five dash cam spots with increases of 191 per cent and 172 per cent, respectively.
A spokesman at Lincolnshire Police said: “There is no doubt that video footage of offences can be very useful in changing driver behaviour.
“We often hear that drivers take fewer risks and are more patient and courteous as they fear being caught on dash cam and facing prosecution.
“In road safety terms this change of driving behaviour is invaluable in reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.”
Here’s a list of reckless driving behaviour and the fines and penalties you risk getting from it
- Using phone while driving
Cheeky glance at a phone screen will result in six penalty points on your licence and a £200 fine
New drivers might lose their licence if caught doing so within two years of obtaining it - Speeding
Lovers of fast and furious will end up with minimum three points and £100 fine - Running a red light
This offence will incur three points and £100 fine - Middle lane hogging
It constitutes careless driving and police will hand you out a £100 fine with three penalty points - Undertaking
This could possibly result in three points on your license and a £100 fine
