WATCH: BMW driver narrowly avoids head-on collision

A BMW driver who overtake two cars narrowly avoiding a head on collision was caught out by shocking dash cam footage.

Ryan Haffenden, 21, was behind the wheel of his BMW 318i when he ignored signs not to overtake on a 50mph single carriageway on the A259 at Bognor Regis last August.

He passes around a pedestrian crossing on the wrong side of the road, before moving back into the correct lane just ahead of a column of oncoming traffic.

But his careless driving was captured on camera by the driver of the first vehicle he overtook

The footage was sent to Operation Crackdown - an online reporting tool provided by Sussex Police and supported by Sussex Safer Roads Partnership.

This allows motorists to report antisocial driving such as speeding, tailgating, using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt.

And Haffenden is now just one point away from being banned from the road after pleading guilty to driving without due care and attention at Brighton Magistrates' Court.

Under the scheme police can send advisory letters to those reported, with the aim of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured in collisions each year.

But in some cases the reported driver may be sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution, as was the case with Haffenden of Tangmere, Chichester.

He was given five penalty points, fined £212 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

He already had six points on his licence owing to a previous motoring offence.

Sergeant Phil Badman, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: "Clearly in this case, the evidential standard was met for a prosecution of driving without due care and attention.

"This was thanks to the dash cam provided by one of the drivers Haffenden overtook.

"Dashboard and GoPro cameras are becoming more and more common, and manufacturers are even starting to build dash cams into their vehicles.

"This should act as a warning to antisocial drivers that although their actions may not be witnessed by us, they could be caught on camera by another motorist which could lead to a prosecution.

"It also shows that Operation Crackdown is a valuable tool for recording incidents of antisocial driving and taking action against offenders, which in turn helps to reduce the risk to those who abide by the law.

"It's worth noting that while we continue to encourage people to report antisocial driving to us, there may be some cases where people will be called upon as witnesses in the event a case goes to court."

Operation Crackdown was launched in 2007 and last year around 55,000 reports were recorded.

Since this year it has sought to take a more proactive role, and has actively encouraged video footage and photographs of offences to be sent in.

Jim Stobart, team leader for Operation Crackdown, said: "This is a significant step forward in what Operation Crackdown can do to help reduce the instances of poor driving that get reported to us.

"Where the evidence exists, we will always seek to prosecute where appropriate and I would encourage drivers to report instances of bad driving, but not to commit offences themselves in seeking to gather evidence."