900 motorists were caught speeding by police during proactive road safety work on the Isle of Wight over the summer.
As we have highlighted in previous months, Hampshire Constabulary’s Safer Roads Unit carried out some work on the Island throughout May and June, with 268 speeding drivers caught in May and 221 in June.
The Safer Roads Unit forms part of our Joint Operations Unit (JOU) shared between Hampshire and Thames Valley, and they conduct proactive operations all over the two counties, as well as on the Isle of Wight.
We can now provide an update with the results of further work conducted by this team throughout July and August.
Visits in July and August
In July, the team visited 23 sites on the Island on 56 separate occasions, where 269 drivers were caught speeding.
The Safer Roads Unit were active again in August with 21 sites visited on 22 separate occasions, and 142 speeding motorists were caught.
Listening to the public’s concerns
We regularly receive feedback and reports from the public about issues relating to driving standards and road safety on the Isle of Wight.
It’s important that we listen to these concerns and take necessary and appropriate action. The information we get from the public also helps us identify hotspots for this type of behaviour.
Locations targeted over the summer
A number of locations across the Island were targeted over the summer, and while we won’t disclose every single road for operational reasons, we can confirm that activity took place on the Military Road and in a number of towns including Newport, Wootton, Ryde, Fishbourne, Binstead, Whippingham, East Cowes, Apse Heath, Brading, Sandown, Ventnor, and Yarmouth.
Two new dedicated Island-based roads policing officers
In addition to the efforts of the Safer Roads Unit, the local RP/ARV officers (joint roads policing and armed response) on the Isle of Wight also regularly conduct enforcement and engagement work in tandem with mainland roads policing officers who often visit the Island to provide additional support.
Their efforts will be enhanced by the introduction of two dedicated Island-based roads policing officers who are expected to be in post later this year.
The ‘Fatal Four’
Teams also actively and regularly target drivers who display behaviours under the ‘Fatal Four’ banner.
These are the four poor driving habits that often lead to serious or fatal collisions – drink/drug driving, driving without a seatbelt, speeding, and using a mobile phone whilst driving. In the period 17th August to 19th September, RP/ARV officers issued 36 tickets to drivers on top of their other duties, with 28 of these relating to Fatal Four offences.
Checking for legal paperwork
Officers also target road users who drive without the legal documentation – such as a valid license, insurance or tax – as well as drivers with defective vehicles or illegal number plates.
We can, and do, take action against drivers with illegal licence plates, so read more details here to make sure you’re staying on the right side of the law.
Serious collisions across the Island
Alongside their proactive work, the RP/ARV team have also been responding to and dealing with serious collisions across the Island, and supporting other strands with high risk incidents such as domestic abuse and drug-related harm.
We continue to encourage members of the public to report driving offences, and concerns around driving standards, to police so we can identify the areas affected and take action to keep road users safer.
News shared by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, in their own words. Ed
