Where and how to send a video with a traffic violation?

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Published: March 16, 2019

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Both drivers and pedestrians are required to follow traffic rules. However, not everyone strictly follows the law, and the traffic police are not able to keep track of everything. Anyone can report a violation, because concern for general safety directly concerns everyone.

Later in the article you will be able to read exactly how this can be done: how and where to file an application for a traffic violation, how to properly file it so that the culprit is punished. Remember that your timely intervention, even on a seemingly insignificant matter, can prevent a serious accident in the future.

Where can I send information about traffic violations?
What should be included in a violation report? What materials are evidence?
How to take a photo of a violation
Are eyewitness videos punishable?

Methods for transferring materials to the traffic police

Sample of a written complaint about a traffic violation

Reporting infringement via the Internet

Mobile application for reporting violations

Where else can you post photos and videos?

Punishment for video violations in the media or the Internet

When the offender is not punished

Violation of the statute of limitations

Anonymous letters

The most common violations sent by citizens

What should be included in a violation report?

Each request must be verified. But there are a number of formal requirements for accepting an application. Regardless of the form of submission, the required points are as follows:

Last name, first name of the applicant, patronymic, if any, return address (postal or email)
A clearly formulated essence of the appeal.

Your application must be registered within 3 days, and you can require the inspectorate to provide a number so that you can track the progress of the case. The review itself takes up to 30 days. The verification process is much simpler and more effective if evidence is immediately attached to the eyewitness’s statement.

What materials are evidence?

Photo and video materials that clearly demonstrate the violation committed are considered sufficient evidence. Both footage taken from a mobile phone and dashcam evidence are suitable. But they are valid only if they meet the following requirements:

More on the topic: Is it possible to post videos of traffic police officers on the Internet?

You can read the registration plate of an offending vehicle
It is clear and unambiguous that a violation has been committed.

How to take a photo of a violation

Let's look at examples. If you take a photograph of a stationary car under a “no stopping and parking” sign, then in one photo you should clearly see the car with license plates, the prohibiting sign, and you should be able to accurately assess their relative position. If all elements are captured separately, a single picture will not emerge.

For example, even if you film a driver talking on a mobile phone while driving, it will not be clear whether he was driving or standing. Therefore, photography is not suitable for recording all violations. Usually it is used only to confirm illegal parking.

Video is more universal, as it covers the situation in dynamics. However, the requirements remain the same.

Additional benefits will include GPS marks on the exact time and location of the shooting. If your recording device has this feature, it's best to turn it on before taking photos or videos.

Are eyewitness videos punishable?

This question arises for most witnesses to violations, so let's figure it out. The law clearly states that statements from citizens containing information about an administrative offense committed are grounds for initiating a case (COAP of the Russian Federation, Article 28.1, paragraph 3).

However, it is worth remembering that this does not mean punishment. Each request must be verified. Only if the investigation confirms the driver’s guilt will he be held accountable and receive a fine. Therefore, you should carefully consider collecting materials that confirm your words.

Methods for transferring materials to the traffic police

If you would like to apply, you can do so in several ways:

At a direct meeting with an inspector at the traffic police department
Via the Internet on the traffic police website
Via the app

Sample of a written complaint about a traffic violation

A written complaint about an offense can be submitted personally to the traffic police department in whose area of responsibility this event occurred. The form can be free, but for effective consideration it is worth including in the content:

Your contacts
Information about the date and address of the incident
State vehicle registration plate, make and color
Composition of the incident

As an example, you can use the following wording: “On the XX day of the XX month of the year 20XX, at about XX hours, I witnessed a violation committed at the ADDRESS by a car with a state registration plate NUMBER: further description of the violation.”

More on the topic: Can the traffic police deprive you of your license using a camera?

Refusal to consider an application is possible only in the following cases:

The applicant’s contacts are not indicated (full name, contact address)
The essence of the appeal is not clear (what exactly the offense is)
The statement contains profanity, insults, and threats to officials or members of their families.

The application must be accompanied by confirmation of your words on an electronic medium, for example, a flash drive.

Reporting infringement via the Internet

The official website of the traffic police has a service that allows you to submit an application via the Internet. All the same rules apply to it as to a paper appeal, but a clear structure makes the drafting process more understandable. All required items are marked with asterisks.

Step-by-step instruction:

Fill out the “To whom it is addressed” block. Here we mark the unit in whose territory the violation occurred.
We indicate the applicant. Last name, first name and email address are required. In principle, you can also indicate a postal address, but this is undesirable for reasons of personal safety
You can mark the region where the event occurred - this will allow you to quickly classify and redirect your application
We enter the text of the appeal in a separate field - here you need to briefly and clearly write the essence of the violation. Approximate wording was indicated in the previous section.
We attach a photo or video recording the violation.

Mobile application for reporting violations

There is a convenient alternative - a mobile application. You can upload a photo to it and it will automatically send an application to the traffic police. True, it is designed only for certain types of traffic violations:

Parking on the lawn
Parking within the area of prohibition signs
Parking at the pedestrian crossing
Parking on the sidewalk

The “Moscow Assistant” application has been developed for Moscow residents; the SPOT application is available for other cities.

We report violations ourselves

The violation should be recorded using a photo or video camera . Video footage from the recorder is excellent evidence of the offense committed. If a motorist violates the rules of stopping or parking, his car can be captured from any angle.

The following factors need to be considered:

In photographs or video materials, license plates must be clearly visible. So the inspectors will correctly issue a fine in the name of the actual car owner.
The fact of the violation must also be clearly visible. If the driver stops the car where there is a prohibitory sign, the vehicle is photographed along with this sign.

Take several photos at once. It’s good if the phone records the time of violation and location using GPS, and this information can also be indicated in the photograph.

The video from the dashcam should also show the license plates of the car violating the traffic rules, otherwise there is no point in contacting the traffic police.

Where should I send the materials?

Complaint about traffic violations

Let's look at how to send a video of a traffic violation to the traffic police in 2019. You can personally provide the records, accompanying them with a statement .

Make an application online

The corresponding application can be submitted on the traffic police portal through the “Acceptance of applications” section https://www.gibdd.ru/letter/. Materials are attached to the file.

First, the witness of the violation selects the addressee in the region in whose territory the violation was committed and fills in the fields that are marked with red asterisks.

In the field for receiving a response, it is better to choose “electronically”, since the offender has the right to read the application to the traffic police, find out your address and can take revenge.

Please provide a contact number for communication. An investigator can immediately contact you using it to promptly obtain additional information.

Applications are usually processed within 30 days. An application may be refused if:

the appeal has been duplicated;
the application contains incorrect information about the applicant or an incorrect email address for feedback;
the witness accompanied the description of the incident with insults or obscene language;
incorrect drafting of the text of the appeal;
the application was submitted without certain documents or a personal signature;
the statement does not contain a specific complaint.

Many citizens in their appeals indicate a link to material already posted on the Internet by someone with an offense, but are not witnesses themselves. Another fairly common mistake is the absence in the application of the time, location of the violation, or information about the offender’s car.

Also, some witnesses refuse to come to the department to testify and provide additional information on the case under consideration.

When the offender is not punished

But there are situations when the violator will not be punished even if there is reliable evidence of his guilt, recorded in a photo or video. This is possible in two cases:

Violation of the statute of limitations
Anonymous requests

Violation of the statute of limitations

According to paragraph 1 of Article 4.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, it is possible to be held accountable for an offense only within a certain period of time. If time has passed and no decision has been made, the perpetrator can file a motion to dismiss the case due to the expiration of the statute of limitations and go unpunished. What you can expect:

For minor violations considered without the participation of a court, the statute of limitations is limited to 2 months
For cases in which the court makes a decision, the period is set at 3 months
For serious offenses, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, refusal to undergo an examination, causing minor or moderate harm as a result of an accident, a decision must be made within a year.

The period may be extended if the consideration of the case is transferred to another territorial unit.

Anonymous letters

Also, appeals are not considered on their merits, even those recorded according to all the rules with photos and videos, if they are submitted anonymously. Each application submitted to the traffic police must contain the name, surname and, if available, patronymic of the applicant, as well as contact information for written communication with him.

Complaint to the traffic police: in person and on the website

The most direct and clear way to punish a violator is to write a complaint to the traffic police.

Now it is not necessary to personally go to the department and write a statement there. All you need to do is take a photo of the road situation and fill out the form on the website.

You can and should also use video from a car recorder. In this case, the date, time and your license plate stamps should be displayed on the screen.

Electronic submission of an application and personal application are equivalent and do not have privileges when considered by the traffic police.

But you need to keep in mind that if you file a complaint online, then in the future you may be asked to provide the original photographs in person. Your witness statements may also be required.

Photo and video requirements:

readable license plate number of the offender’s vehicle;
recording the fact of violation: road signs, markings, traffic lights, etc., which reflects the situation that has arisen;
It is desirable that the date of shooting be indicated directly on the photo or video, and the location reflected using GPS/Glonass.

The official period for consideration of your application is 30 days.

The most common violations sent by citizens

Due to the proliferation of applications for automatically sending applications to the traffic police, citizens most often fill out messages about violations of parking rules. These violations are not only easier to record, but they also cause a lot of inconvenience in everyday life: they damage lawns, interfere with traffic, and pose a danger to children and animals.

On the one hand, parking on the lawn or next to a pedestrian crossing may seem like a minor violation. However, behind it lies a much greater evil: it is easy to miss a pedestrian behind a car left in the wrong place, which means the risk of serious accidents increases. If we can change this situation and create a new culture, it is worth making the effort!