ONE OF the region's leading police officers aims to bring dangerous motorists on the Isle of Wight to book and target serious collision hotspots, following comments made by a coroner about road fatalities and policing.

The deputy district commander for operational policing activity on the Isle of Wight, chief inspector Alex Charge, said: “Driving standards on the Isle of Wight are a clear concern to the public.

"We have invested a lot of resource in recent years to bolster our efforts, to ensure drivers feel safe — and are safe — and to target motorists who put other road users at risk."

At a recent inquest, Island coroner, Caroline Sumeray recently said she was "deeply concerned" by the number of road deaths on the Island.

Senior roads policing officer, Sgt Neil Corby, told the same hearing although two dedicated roads policing officers were recruited in November 2022, it was "nowhere near" enough to cope with the 'hundreds' of serious collisions on the Island's roads annually.

The two-person team deals with crashes, as well as conducting education and enforcement work, and providing family liaison support to the families of those involved in collisions.

Mainland police officers bolster operations, like Wightwash and Mile, designed to target drivers' ‘fatal four’ behaviours - the ones that pose the greatest risk of causing a serious or fatal collision.

They are drink and drug driving, driving without a seatbelt, speeding and mobile phone use at the wheel.

Officers also track the areas most affected by driving offences.

Operation Mile targets a stretch of road with additional dedicated patrols and enforcement.

Ch Isp Charge said: “This is intelligence-led, looking at data surrounding hotspot areas for serious collisions and dangerous driving behaviours — and utilising important information provided by the public.

“With greater focus on the roads, it enables us to get a fuller picture of areas impacted by bad driving. 

"Our intelligence gathering and patrol activity will provide us with a much more accurate understanding.

"It’s so important the public continue to report their concerns and any crimes they have witnessed, so we can continue to keep road users safe."