Highways England’s habit of rapidly deleting CCTV footage is hurting attempts to determine liability in accidents, according to an industry leader.
Claims Management & Adjusting (CMA) has written to Highways England to protest its National Control Centre’s CCTV footage being deleted after just seven days, according to a news release. The National Control Centre monitors the UK’s road network and alerts contractors when attention is needed – “for example, a motorway barrier might need repairing or a fuel spillage might need clearing up,” according to the release.
But the centre’s rapid deletion of CCTV footage is destroying valuable evidence in the case of auto accidents, according to Philip Swift, a former police detective now serving as the managing director of CMA.
“When Highways England are aware of an incident, why on earth is the CCTV footage not retained?” Swift said. “The issue of liability is key in cases of damage to Crown property. If the driver was negligent, they will likely be responsible for the repair costs. Unfortunately, it is often an innocent party who ends up colliding with a barrier, while the truly at-fault driver (the one who veered towards them and caused them to swerve) sails merrily on their way. In swerve-to-avoid incidents like these, video footage – either from dashcams or CCTV – can be extremely useful.
“You can see why drivers, fleets and insurers get frustrated when it appears that the very people pursuing them for money, Highways England, have destroyed potentially vital evidence,” Swift said. “Imagine how you’d feel if you weren’t at fault but you received one of these invoices including an amount for the National Control Centre operator’s time. We advise our clients to request the CCTV footage immediately, and ask for it to be supplied within five days, but Highways England’s policy in this area needs to be urgently reviewed.”
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