How to report a vehicle safely

ATAP lets a passenger or someone on foot tell a vehicle's owner how it was driven, with a photo, a place and a time. You do not need an account or an app. This guide covers the safe way to do it, and the small choices that make a report useful to the person who reads it.

Only as a passenger or on foot

Never use your phone while you are driving or riding. If you are driving, stop and park somewhere safe before you start. The report page asks you to confirm that you are a passenger or on foot before the camera opens, and that question is there for your safety first. A report taken by someone at the wheel puts that person and everyone near them at risk.

The same rule holds on a bike or scooter. A pillion rider can report. The person steering cannot.

The steps

1. 1Open atap.in/report in your browser, or scan the ATAP sticker on the vehicle. A scan fills in the plate for you.
2. 2Tap the button that says you are a passenger or on foot. Your phone will ask to use the camera and, separately, your location. Location is optional.
3. 3Point the camera at the number plate and use the guide box on the screen. Choose the long box for cars, buses and trucks, and the square box for bikes and scooters. Hold the phone level and still, then tap Capture.
4. 4Check the plate. Type the letters and numbers exactly as they appear on the vehicle. The page checks the format and may fix a common mix up, such as an O typed where a 0 belongs. If it changes something, compare it with the photo.
5. 5Choose what happened: rash or dangerous driving, overspeeding or a jumped signal, wrong side driving, or obstruction and reckless parking. If you saw good driving, choose praise instead.
6. 6Add one line if it helps, up to 140 characters. Stick to facts: where on the road, and what the vehicle did.
7. 7Tap Send. With no signal, the report is saved on your phone and goes by itself when you are back online.

Taking a photo the owner can use

The photo is what shows that the plate and the vehicle are real. A few habits make it better.

• Get the whole plate in the frame, with a little of the bumper or the road around it, so the vehicle can be recognised.
• Stand still. If you are in a car stopped at a signal, wait for the moment the vehicle ahead is also still. A blurred plate is the most common reason a report is hard to use.
• Reflective plates can turn into a white blur under headlights. Take a step to one side and the glare often drops.
• Keep people out of the frame where you can. The report is about a vehicle, not a face.

What to write, and what to leave out

The owner reads your note. Write what you saw in plain words, for example: overtook on the left near the flyover, no indicator. Leave out names, phone numbers and insults, and do not guess at why the driver did it. Our staff can hide a note that carries personal details.

Why a photo, a place and a time

An owner has no way to check a report that comes with nothing to look at. The photo shows the plate and the vehicle. The time tells them which trip it was. The place helps them picture the road. You can leave the place out and the report still goes through. The owner only sees a map link if you shared your location.

Praise counts too

If a driver gave way, waited at a crossing or kept calm in heavy traffic, send praise. The owner gets a good news message, and in the app it counts for as much as a report.

What a report is, and what it is not

A report is a witness note. It can start a conversation between an owner and a driver. It is not proof in a legal dispute, and it does not replace the police. For a crime or a serious offence, contact the police directly.

Next, read what happens to your report after you press send.