8 biggest Op Snap report mistakes

Op Snap is the system available in England and Wales, where cyclists can report bad driving by uploading video from their helmet cam. However, not all Op Snap reports are equal – do read this post about making a better Op Snap report, as well as this post about improving it even further.

1. Not agreeing to be a witness in court.

If police take your report further, say by offering the driver an education course (which the driver has to pay for) the driver has the option to refuse, and take their chances in court. If you don’t want to be a witness in court, police cannot take your report forward.

2. Not describing how you made yourself visible

We live in a car-brain world. The offending driver, the police officer looking at your report, the public prosecutor and the magistrates all have windscreen-shaped views of the world. That means, from the outset, YOU need to dispel some myths. That begins with making it clear that YOU took measures to help make yourself as visible as possible. Sadly, the biggest benefit to having anything vaguely hi-vis is to reduce the chances of you being blamed for having been invisible.

3. Not describing conditions

Start off by describing visibility. In cases of poor visibility, there’s an increased risk of the driver successfully blaming you, so also describe what you did to counter the poor visibility.

4. Not describing the road

You may be extremely familiar with the road where the event occurred, but don’t assume everyone else is. If it’s potholed, describe that, and how you had to veer around potholes. Describe the speed limit, and whether or not the speed limit changes within half a mile of the incident. Tell them if there are any known risks, such as a school, etc. Also tell them if there were many pedestrians and other cyclists about.

5. Not explaining your road position

Remember your audience isn’t a group of cyclists, and simply saying “primary position” is meaningless to them. Instead, say something along the lines of “As per DfT guidance, as I was cycling past a row of parker cars, I was cycling in the middle of the lane, a position also known as primary position. This is to avoid riding into a car door suddenly being opened in front of me.”

6. Not describing how the incident made you feel

I’ve had close passes so terrifying that I considered giving cycling up altogether, and I’m sure I’m very far from alone in that. Tell them how it made you feel. Describe why the driving left you feeling like that. Make your report human.

7. Not telling them about you

Remember, your report could become evidence in a court case, so always write it with that in mind. In court, where two people give different accounts of an incident, it may come down to the trustworthiness of the individual. If you’re also a driver, mention that. If you have any cycling qualifications, state those. If you cycle 1000s of miles each year, in all sorts of traffic, you’ll be a more experienced cyclist than someone who only ever cycles 2 miles each summer, with the grandkids, on a traffic-free path. You’re no better than the other cyclist, but are more experienced, so mention that.

8. Not making a report at all

When I first started engaging with police about bad driving around cyclists, an Inspector explicitly told me that the issue doesn’t exist, as they never receive any reports. That’s exceptionally blind policing, but remains a reality all over. He challenged me to find any other cyclist who experienced issues, so I went on social media, and posted in various cycling forums, asking other cyclists to contact police.

Within three months, that Inspector admitted they were being swamped by reports.

Unless police receive reports, nothing will happen!

Also read my guide on making better Op Snap reports.