Camera justice: Get paid for filming law-breaking drivers in the act

Now that every man, woman and child seems to have their own smartphone, why don't we help prosecute dangerous drivers by paying a bounty to those who catch them in the act?

After all, our police is overstretched and crimes such as driving while using a mobile phone have become endemic. The law on mobile phone offences is being tightened this week to close loopholes, but detection of the crime remains a challenge.

If we paid a bounty to anyone who provided phone footage of a driver using a phone illegally it's hard to imagine it not having a positive effect on offending rates. It's a model that's already seeing results in America.

New York pays bounty to those filming law-breaking drivers in the act

In a bid to reduce dangerous pollution, New York has a Citizens Air Complaint Program that pays people to report lorries that are parked and idling for more than three minutes, or one minute if outside a school.

Those who successfully report a lorry in this way receive 25 per cent of any fine - typically $87, which works out at about £66. The city received more than 12,000 submissions last year, with one man claiming to have netted over $64,000 in rewards.

Cleaner and safer roads benefit everyone, however they travel. Are you for or against the idea of paying a bounty to those who report law-breaking motorists?

The ethical choice

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