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You can report to the police through an online portal:
You can report to the police through an online portal:
Leaving a motor vehicle in dangerous position is a criminal driving offence that can be charged by the police, and can result in warning letters, diversionary courses, points, fines etc.
Familiarise yourself with some key rules of the Highway Code, and you can submit reports which the police review and then decide how to proceed based on photos you submit.
242 You MUST NOT leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous position or where it causes any unnecessary obstruction of the road.
242 You MUST NOT leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous position or where it causes any unnecessary obstruction of the road.
MUST/MUST NOT = legal requirements; disobeying is a criminal offense
SHOULD NOT/DO NOT = can be used as evidence against you in Traffic Court, even if violating them is not an automatic criminal offense
Most reports will include Rule 242. Listing other SHOULD NOT/DO NOT rules helps to evidence a 242 violation.
Most reports will include Rule 242. Listing other SHOULD NOT/DO NOT rules helps to evidence a 242 violation.
Example Rules
Example Rules
242 You MUST NOT leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous position or where it causes an unnecessary obstruction of the road.
243 DO NOT stop or park [...] opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space.
244 You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs.
Also included in report:
- Parked in a restricted zone
- Vehicle did not leave enough space for a wheelchair or pram to pass, creating a danger for footway users forced into the road.
Obstructing a (shared) cycle track
Obstructing a (shared) cycle track
243 DO NOT stop or park - where you would obstruct cyclists’ use of cycle facilities except when forced to do so by stationary traffic.
240 You MUST NOT stop or park on - a tram or cycle lane during its period of operation - a cycle track (RTA1998 S21(2)).
This sign designates a type of cycle track. Unlike a cycle lane, a cycle track is separate from motor traffic.
Double white lines (and hill/bend)
Double white lines (and hill/bend)
240 You MUST NOT stop or park on a road marked with double white lines, even when a broken white line is on your side of the road, except to pick up or set down passengers, or to load or unload goods.
243 DO NOT stop or park - near the brow of a hill or a hump bridge - on a bend.
Obstructing lowered kerb
Obstructing lowered kerb
243 DO NOT stop or park - where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles - opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space.
Pedestrian crossing or zig-zags
Pedestrian crossing or zig-zags
240 You MUST NOT stop or park on a pedestrian crossing, including the area marked by the zig-zag lines (see Rule 191)
Lowered kerb and cycle track
Lowered kerb and cycle track
243 DO NOT stop or park where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles.
240 You MUST NOT stop or park on - a tram or cycle lane during its period of operation - a cycle track (RTA1998 S21(2))
How to Report
How to Report
Take several photos from different angles and distances which clearly show number plates. Include street name signs, any relevant restriction signs, or road markings. If your photos can illustrate how the parking impacts others ie. for an obstructed footway show that your pram, wheelchair, child, etc. cannot fit in the space left over, even better.
Report as soon as you can. If a decision is made to prosecute, the vehicle’s keeper must receive a Notice of Intended Prosecution BY POST within two weeks, so the sooner the better. Late reports are still worthwhile for data, driving records, and can result in a warning letter, which may be taken into account for repeat offenders.
(still photographs also accepted)
Select South Yorkshire Police from the map.
You will need to agree to attend court as a witness if the driver contests the charge. This author (and many others) have yet to have this happen.
Start filling in your details. ‘Incident details’ is your statement.
List out ALL the ways in which the driver has violated advice and rules of the Highway Code, and quote them. The more description and rule violations you list, the more evidence there is for leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position.
TIPS:
TIPS:
Autofill and Contacts settings on your phone can be used to speed up the form filling
make a template and keep it on your phone so you can cut/paste and then add or edit important details.
you may notice patterns at particular locations and can keep a template statement specifically for them
your phone records the date and time on photos, so you can snap a few pics and submit a report later.
EXAMPLE STATEMENT
EXAMPLE STATEMENT
On (date) at (time), I (name) found the above vehicle (registration) parked in a manner that failed to meet the rules laid out in the Highway Code, creating an unnecessary obstruction of the road and a danger to vulnerable road users.
The car was parked fully on the footway, which constitutes part of ‘the road’, and on the roundabout at the junction of (road name) and (road name)(postcode). The positioning of the vehicle blocked a section of dropped kerb, impacting wheelchair and mobility assistance vehicle users.
Rule 145 states “You MUST NOT drive on or over a pavement, footpath or bridleway except to gain lawful access to property, or in the case of an emergency”.
Rule 244 states “You MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London, and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it. Parking on the pavement can obstruct and seriously inconvenience pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or with visual impairments and people with prams or pushchairs”
Rule 243 of the highway code states DO NOT STOP or park opposite or within 10m (32 feet) of a junction, opposite a traffic island, or on a bend and "DO NOT stop or park where the kerb has been lowered to help wheelchair users and powered mobility vehicles."
The vehicle was blocking pedestrian access as well as obscuring visibility at a junction. The vehicle was causing a danger for vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians who are put at more risk as a result of poor junction visibility.
Rule 242 of the Highway code states “You MUST NOT leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous position or where it causes an unnecessary obstruction of the road.”
Offence code: Leave a motor vehicle in dangerous position RT88508.
No notes or badges were displayed in the vehicle. No loading or unloading was taking place. I took (number) photos and submitted them to South Yorkshire Police via (the Nextbase portal).
NEXTBASE submissions do not necessarily need details already collected in the form (name, date. time, etc) to be repeated, so you could shorten your statement template to make things easier.
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