How it works

1. Capture safely

Your safety comes first. Never film or take photos while you are driving: use a dashcam, or ask a passenger to do it.

Make sure the number plate is readable in at least one photo, and that no faces of anyone in the vehicle are visible. Photos or videos that show faces are rejected.

If the vehicle is a company vehicle, blur any telephone numbers, website addresses and email addresses on it before you send us the photos or video. Submissions that show them are declined. You can blur them yourself: tap Blur on a photo after uploading it, then draw a box over anything that must not be seen.

Don't put yourself or anyone else in danger to get a better shot, and never follow or confront the other driver.

2. Create a free account

You need an account to submit reports, so that we can prevent abuse. Only your username is shown publicly, never your email address. If you don't choose a username, we make one up for you, like KwaaiKoedoe42.

3. Submit your report

Our step-by-step form asks for:

• The vehicle: number plate, make, model, colour and type.
• The offence: one or more offence types, and a short, factual description of what happened.
• Where and when: province, city or town, the street or landmark, and the date and time.
• Your evidence: one to three photos, and optionally a link to a YouTube video.

A video is added as a link to a YouTube video that anyone with the link can watch (Public or Unlisted). Keep the video as short as possible: cut your dashcam footage down to just the incident, showing only the vehicle committing the offence. Your YouTube channel name may reveal who you are, so consider posting the clip as Unlisted from an account that doesn't show your name. To blur part of a video, use the blur tool in YouTube Studio before you share the link. Your draft is saved after every step, so nothing is lost if your signal drops.

4. We review it

A moderator checks every report against our content rules: is it a real traffic offence, is the plate visible, are there no faces, are a company vehicle's phone numbers, website and email addresses blurred, and is the description fair and factual? If we reject a report, we email you the reason.

5. It goes live

Once approved, your report is published with its photos and you receive an email with a link. If you added a YouTube link, the video is shown on the listing too.

If the same number plate has been reported before, the listings are linked together, and repeat offenders appear on the top offenders list.

Want to know the moment it goes live? Get the Padvark app and turn on notifications in My account.

Also report it to the authorities

Padvark doesn't send reports to the RTMC or Arrive Alive: if you want them to act, report it to them yourself.

• RTMC on WhatsApp: 083 293 7989
• National Traffic Call Centre (NTCC): 0861 762 847 (08617NaTIS)
• Arrive Alive: their online form

Once your report is published, My account shows two buttons on it: one sends it to the RTMC on WhatsApp, already written, with a link to your published report and video; the other shows all your answers in the format the Arrive Alive form expects, with copy buttons. Only the Arrive Alive form asks for your ID number and a security code: Padvark never asks for or stores your ID number.

Your privacy

We strip all hidden metadata, such as GPS location and camera details, from every photo you upload. Videos are not uploaded to Padvark: you link to a video you posted on YouTube, so check what your YouTube account shows about you. Read our privacy policy for the details.