Road rage 249/2025

FOI Reference: 249/2025

Request:

1. For each calendar year 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, could you tell me:

The number of reported crimes which mentioned 'road rage' or 'aggressive driving' in the MO field of the crime report and the detailed crime type.

2. For each calendar year 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, could you tell me:

The number of road traffic accidents recorded with a contributing factor of 'aggressive driving' (code 601)

Clarification Q:

With regards to Q2, are you referring to all road traffic collisions including damage only RTC’s?

Please note that in 2024 contributory factors were replaced with road safety factors so the code provided ceased to exist after 1st January 2024.

Clarification A:

To clarify on Q2, yes please, all road traffic accidents including damage-only RTCs.

3. Can you send over more information on the list of road safety factors that have replaced contributory factors?

 

Response:

Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 places two duties on public authorities. Unless exemptions apply, the first duty at Section 1(1) (a) is to confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held. The second duty at Section 1(1) (b) is to disclose information that has been confirmed as being held.

Where exemptions are relied upon Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Dyfed Powys Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which:   (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information you have requested. However, we are withholding the whole of the requested information since we consider that the Section 12(1) exemption the Cost of Compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit applies to it.

Section 12 (1) – The cost of compliance exceeds the Appropriate Limit

Section 12(1) states: “…Section 1 (1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit.”

The cost of providing you with the information requested in respect of Question 2 of your request is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the “appropriate level” as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. It is estimated that it would exceed 18 hours (i.e. minimum of 770.2 hours) to comply with this part of your request. The regulations can be located @ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/3244

The Freedom of Information department has been advised that the information in respect of Question 2 of your request is not held in an easily retrievable format. In light of this and in order to accurately obtain the information relative to your request for the time frame stipulated would involve Dyfed Powys Police accessing and reviewing all RTC reports, each record would have to be manually reviewed to ascertain whether aggressive driving was a contributing factor.

It has been established that there are a total of 11555 reports that cover the period of your request.  It has also been established that it would take a minimum of 4 minutes to review and obtain the information for a single report in respect of question 2 of your request (as outlined above).  The process outlined results in the below time estimate.

2020 – 1815 reports x 4 minutes = 121 hours

2021 – 2465 reports x 4 minutes = 164.3 hours

2022 – 2930 reports x 4 minutes = 195.3 hours

2023 – 2334 reports x 4 minutes = 155.6 hours

2024 – 2011 reports x 4 minutes = 134 hours

Time estimate to complete task = 770.2 hours

In accordance therefore with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a Refusal Notice for the Whole of this request under Section 17(5) A public authority which, in relation to any request for information, is relying on a claim that section 12 or section 14 applies must, within the time for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice stating that fact.

You may wish to refine and resubmit your request so that it reduces the time shown above to fall within the 18 hours, should you require any further advice in relation to this matter please don’t hesitate to contact the Freedom of Information Unit. Please also be advised that should the request be refined, it does not remove the public authorities right to cite exemptions if relevant.

Although excess cost removes the forces obligations under the Freedom of Information Act to provide any further information, as a gesture of goodwill, I have provided information, relative to questions 1 & 3 of your request which has been easily retrievable and outlined below. I trust this is helpful, but it does not affect our legal right to rely on the fees regulations for the remainder of your request.

Q1:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below. Please note that the data is held on two different systems so the information is split between date ranges.

(up to 12/05/2023)

Offence Category	2020	2021	2022	2023	Grand Total
ASSABH47  Assault with Injury	3	3	4	1	11
ASSCOMM  Assault without injury	8	5	5	0	18
ASSCOMMR  Racially/Religiously Aggravated Assault without injury	1	0	0	0	1
ASSHARM  Assault with Intent to Cause Serious Harm	1	1	0	0	2
CDAM_RESID  Criminal Damage - Residential	0	0	1	0	1
CDAMTH  Threats or Possession with Intent to Commit Criminal Damage	1	0	0	0	1
CDAMVEH  Criminal Damage to Vehicles	3	0	1	0	4
DANGERDR  Dangerous Driving	0	0	1	0	1
DANGERDRIVE_INC  Dangerous Driving Non-Crime	0	1	0	1	2
DANGERROAD  Endangering Life (Causing Danger to Road Users)	0	0	1	0	1
HARASS1  Harassment	0	1	0	0	1
HARASS4  Public Fear, Alarm or Distress - Public Order Act Sec 4	9	15	5	0	29
HARASS4A  Public Fear, Alarm or Distress - Public Order Act Sec 4a	11	16	21	7	55
Public Order Sec 4a - Public Fear, Alarm or Distress	0	0	0	1	1
Theft from a Vehicle	0	0	0	1	1
THREATKILL  Threats to kill	0	1	0	2	3
Grand Total	37	43	39	13	132

 

(post 12/05/2023)

Offence Category	2023	2024	Grand Total
105A Assault without Injury	4	13	17
3B Threats to Kill	1	1	2
5E Endangering Life	0	1	1
8L Harassment	1	1	2
8N Assault with injury	3	5	8
9A Public Fear Alarm or Distress	22	37	59
9B Racially or Religiously Aggravated Public Fear, Alarm or Distress	1	0	1
Not recorded	1	3	4
Grand Total	33	61	94

 

Q3:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

Behaviour or inexperience

Code		PT	Definition	Help
B1	301 302 304 305	V	Driver / rider illegal turn / direction of travel or failed to comply with traffic sign / signal
B2	303	V	Driver/rider disobeyed double white lines	Driver rider crosses double continuous white lines, or a single continuous white line and a broken white line where the line nearest the vehicle is continuous.
B3	401 403	V	Driver / rider overshot junction or poor turn / manoeuvre
B4	405 406 802 803	VCU	Ineffective observation by either the driver, rider or pedestrian
B5	603 605 606 607	V	Driver/rider inexperienced or learner	Including unfamiliarity of driving on the left. Where learning contributed to the collision, not just that they were a learner driver.
B6	407	V	Driver/rider passing too close to another road user or pedestrian
B7	904	V	Vehicle door opened into path of another road user or pedestrian
B8	408	V	Sudden braking or braking in a way unsuitable for conditions

PT = Participant type

 

Distraction or impairment                           

Code		PT	Definition	Help
D1	501 806	VCU	Affected by alcohol	For use where alcohol was a contributor to the collision. Just because a person in charge of a vehicle might have tested positive for alcohol, it doesn’t necessarily follow that alcohol actually contributed to the collision e.g. driver asleep in the car.
D2	502 807	VCU	Affected by drugs	For use where drugs were a contributor to the collision. Just because a person in charge of a vehicle might have tested positive for drugs it doesn’t necessarily follow that drug actually contributed to the collision e.g. driver asleep in the car.
D3	503	V	Driver/rider too tired to drive/ride safely
D4	504	V	Driver/rider had uncorrected or defective eyesight
D5	505 810	VCU	Illness or disability	Physical or mental impairment
D6	508	VCU	Using mobile device
D7	509 510 705	V	Distraction to driver/rider from inside/outside or on vehicle	Passengers, headlight dazzle. Use R5 (Drivers/riders vision affected by adverse weather or dazzling sun) for dazzled by sun.

PT = Participant type

 

Non-motorised road users or PPT (i.e. Pedestrian, cyclist, equestrian, mobility scooter or Personal Powered Transporter)           

Code		PT	Definition	Help
P1	804	VCU	Incorrect use of crossing facility by person crossing the road
P2	310	V	Vehicle entering road from pavement
P3	805	CU	Pedestrian showing risk taking behaviour in carriageway	e.g. playing
P4	808	CU	Pedestrian careless or in a hurry
P5	507 809	VCU	Pedestrian, cyclist, equestrian hard to see

PT = Participant type                                               

                                                           

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 13/03/2025)

Os oes angen y wybodaeth yma arnoch yn Gymraeg, cysylltwch â: [email protected] If you require this information in Welsh, please contact: [email protected]