Blackburn Road, Bolton flagged as hotspot in GMP operation

Blackburn Road leading from Astley Bridge through Egerton and on to East Lancashire was named as one of the key roads, along with Atherton Road in Hindley.

But police have received thousands of submissions this year of footage of dangerous drivers from members of the public across the region aimed at making roads like these safer.

Superintendent Gareth Parkin of GMP’s Safer Transport Unit said: “Our dashcam portal, which we have codenamed Operation Snap, is our way of having a determined and robust approach to policing the roads and we’ll take every opportunity to make them safer for everyone.

“Sharing the roads and pavements and being respectful of that between drivers, riders, cyclists, and pedestrians is key to a safer Greater Manchester and our commitment to ensure we can reduce the number of fatal and serious collisions.

“Dashcam and cycle cam footage from drivers and cyclists using the roads is vital to this enforcement and we encourage everyone to continue to use the portal to do this.

“We wish to support individuals choosing a sustainable form of transport such as cycling.

"We will hold drivers to account on every occasion where we identify that the standard of driving falls below that of a careful and competent driver."

Bolton has long been a particular area of concern for road safety, with several crashes having been reported over recent months and years, some of them fatal.

In early October, firefighters came to the town centre with a mock up of a destroyed car to bring home the devastating consequences dangerous driving can have. 

Firefighters used cutting equipment to demonstrate how they would rescue a trapped person as well as showing the public examples of other rescue techniques. 

A mocked up crashed car was on display in Bolton town centre on October 3 (Image: Newsquest)

But Greater Manchester Police hope to go further still in tackling dangerous driving. 

​The dashcam footage portal, which is open to the public, was relaunched as part of the “Vision Zero” strategy, which aims to eliminate all road deaths and life changing injuries by 2040.

Submissions and what police call “positive outcomes” have risen steadily in the years since 2020 from entries to the Operation Snap portal.

Reports have ranged from close passing cyclists to driving without seatbelts, use of a mobile phone while driving and running red lights.

Different kinds of dangerous driving have been reported (Image: GMP) People have also reported drivers speeding and blocking junctions and pavements.

In 2020 3,715 reports were made across Greater Manchester, which increased to 5,078 by 2023, according to GMP.

The force says that between August 2023 and January 2024 it saw 1,563 positive outcomes, an increase of 85 per cent compared to the year before.

So far this year there have been 4,729 submissions, with 3,110 positive outcomes. 

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Superintendent Parkin said: “Vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorcyclists are at much greater risk of serious injury and death than those in vehicles.

"Our priority is to protect those most vulnerable.

“By helping us we can help you and ensure you feel confident in the knowledge that the road network is being patrolled by our dedicated units with the support of the public.”

Outcomes for these can range from warning letters to fines or even further prosecution while police say they often use reports as evidence for ongoing intelligence.