How to report dangerous driving in Ontario

Yes, you can report reckless driving, and police in Ontario want you to. Who you contact depends on one question: is anyone in danger right now?

If someone is in danger now, call 911

Call 911 for a driver who is impaired, racing, driving the wrong way, or so erratic that a crash looks likely. Also call it for a crash with injuries. Pull over first, or have a passenger make the call. Tell the dispatcher:

• Where you are: highway or street, nearest exit or cross street, and direction of travel
• The plate, plus the car's make, model and colour
• What the driver is doing

Don't follow the car to keep it in sight, and never try to stop the driver yourself.

If it already happened, report it to local police

For something you saw earlier, like an unsafe lane change, a red light run, or a driver who cut you off and kept going, use a non-emergency report. Each police service has its own:

• Toronto: the Toronto Police Service online report for driving complaints, or call 416-808-2222.
• 400-series highways and OPP areas: dial *677 (*OPP) on a cell phone, or call 1-888-310-1122. The OPP also has an online reporting tool for some non-emergency incidents.
• York Region: York Regional Police Road Watch, online. You report under your real name, and the police may send the registered owner a warning letter.
• Peel Region: the Peel Regional Police online reporting portal, or call 905-453-3311.
• Durham Region: the Durham Regional Police Road Watch program.

Most other cities and regions in Ontario run a similar Road Watch program. Search for your police service's name plus "Road Watch".

Sending dashcam video to police

Police don't take video uploads from the public in advance. You report first, then an officer contacts you if they need the footage, often through a secure upload link. So:

• Save the original file before your dashcam records over it. Most cameras loop every few hours of driving.
• Keep it unedited. Write down the date and time the camera shows.
• Put your report number somewhere you'll find it.

A video of a minor infraction with no officer present may not lead to a ticket. Serious driving, like stunt driving or a hit and run, is much more likely to be followed up.

What a report to police does, and what posting it here does

Only police can lay a charge. A police report is the way to get a driver ticketed, warned or investigated. Posting your clip on BadDriver.ca does something different: it lets other drivers look up a plate and see if anyone else has had trouble with the same car. Do both if you like, police first.

If you post here, read the posting rules first. Post only video you recorded yourself, and never post faces, names or addresses.