Bob Seely MP and the Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Lora Peacey-Wilcox, have called on Police chiefs to take positive action to address dangerous driving across the Island, which includes the reinstatement of a dedicated Roads Policing Unit.
In a letter to Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney and Police & Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, they said there was a growing consensus amongst Islanders that Isle of Wight’s roads were not as safe as they could be and expressed their concerns about the lack of a dedicated Road Policing Unit (RPU) on the Island.
It was in 2015 that Island Echo exclusively revealed that the Shanklin-based Roads Policing Unit (RPU) was to be shelved – something that took several months to be confirmed. Then, in 2017, the last 2 RPU officers were lost from the Island’s Joint Operations team.
The rate of road accidents in which people are killed or seriously injured (KSI), per billion passenger miles travelled, has been steadily increasing since 2016. Figures obtained via the House of Commons Library (pictured above) show that in 2020, the Isle of Wight had the highest rate across Great Britain and outside of London for people killed or seriously injured in road accidents.
In their letter, Mr Seely and Cllr Peacey-Wilcox have said:
“We feel that dangerous driving is increasingly becoming a problem, along with related issues such as illegal exhausts. We are both receiving regular emails from Island residents and parish and town councils complaining about the dangerous driving of an irresponsible minority.
“One of the reasons why we are getting more complaints – across the Island – may be because we have not had a dedicated Road Policing Unit for some time. Our Road Policing Unit is rolled in with the Island’s armed response team, which spends much of its time supporting serious operations. Road Policing Units perform a valuable role not only in identifying dangerous driving, but also in education and cracking down on disqualified drivers.
“We are of course grateful that teams come over from the mainland Hants. & IW Force to support us, but it is not the same as our own force on the Island. Now that our policing levels are increasing on the Island, we ask you to give serious consideration to the need for a dedicated Road Policing Unit on the Isle of Wight.”
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Increase the punishment for the reckless idiots who tear around the island drugged or under the influence, once you hit these idiots with long disqualifications the message will soon get out .
Stop targeting the innocent so to speak drivers for doing 33 in a 30 limit and concentrate on the constant dangerous offenders
Sadly being disqualified doesn’t stop them =(
If the police had the time and manpower to check cars and motorcycles with illegal exhausts and the courts prosecuted drivers and riders for no insurance due to modifications and mot testers checked db levels and issued failed certificates then we might have a better, quieter island with fewer idiots driving round.
All the so called noisey exhausts pass stringent tests and are deemed perfectly fine however if you feel that bad about them dont live on a main road! If you buy an aston martin you get one free!
Such a stupid answer. Many people ‘ modify’ the exhaust on their vehicle, but sadly they do not inform their insurance company, so they might NOT be insured due to the modification…. same as those that have coloured lights on front of vehicle , driving on public roads, they too are not insured.. don’t believe me, then ask any insurance company..
You’ll find the majority of people with modified cars look after them better then the average Joe and everything is above board they are not the ones you need to keep an eye on. There are a few exceptions in the modified world but only a very very small percentage.
Not rocket science it’s an issue of terrible drivers on our roads.
Road Policing Unit is not the cure with this situation, better drivers & these boy / girl racers should think of their actions & grow up!
And the fact that there are more and more houses being built so that leads to more cars on the road.
Also serious sentencing needed. They just laugh at these ridiculous driving bans.
No sh*t Sherlock. What did they expect when the RPU was disbanded – an improvement in road safety? Idiotic decision taken by idiots.
Conservative MP whose party is responsible for the cuts to Policing, plus a former Conservative Councillor, also complicit in the cuts to Policing, now demand reinstating what they voted to cut?
Due to profligate overspending by a previous Labour government.
It”s not the minority anymore that drive dangerously! I estimate about 75 percent of drivers are now breaking the law and highway code rules. I frequently get bullied by motorists for keeping to speed limits and driving according to the Advanced Drivers Handbook. I have even been verbally abused by a motorist who overtook me then forced me to stop so he could shout at me for keeping to the 20 mph speed limit in Shanklin!
Commons Library (pictured above) show that in 2020, the Isle of Wight had the highest rate across Great Britain and outside of London for people killed or seriously injured in road accidents.
What have all these idiots that constantly make excuses for dangerous drivers, have to say about these reports now???.
What was the point in transferring traffic cops to the armed response unit on the island. There’s not much call for police responding with guns. YET!!, That transfer was like putting bouncers on duty in a monastery. Just what happened to common sense. Driving standards here are pretty grim. Crashes all the time, sadly some fatal.
Know it all, I would guess the point was to get the armed unit ready and enlarged for when those who can’t be mentioned arrive en-masse once all these huge estates are built here, and the people here still imagine they are going to be mostly for their children and other Islanders.
To have increased the armed units once they are here would have been too politically incorrect so do it now before the horrors begin makes the most sense in these wrongly over sensitve times.
Yea Carol, I did say YET !! .I think there was was an armed police incident a couple of years ago in Winford where batten rounds were fired. I dont think these police were local. Probably from the mainland.
We dont need a large armed response unit on the island, two or three copers could deal with most situations. If there’s a major incident get reinforcements from the mainland. We need more police on the road to reduce this island mayhem. Only runner up to London for accidents, what a reputation.
Maybe something to do with the Terror threat to the UK. IOW, we are part of the UK, event hough we seem to get forgotten and overlooked by this Government! The island and it’s occupants need to keep up with the times and understand the threat from terrorists is real. Also, times are changing, there will always be low life who think it’s ok to wave knives and on the odd occasion, a firearm. Police need to arm themselves to be able to deal with all that gets thrown their way. They have families and must go home to them at the end of their working day.
Totally agree with every ones comments !! But one of the main reasons for serious accidents on the island is the ROADS we have lots of narrow lanes that are used for main rds and idiots do not drive accordingly .Island Roads could help putting up better Signage and speed limits on dangerous stretches and of course not diverting traffic down country lanes like Harding Shute .
It doesn’t matter if a road is narrow or wide everyone has taken a driving test (we would hope) take care and drive taking into consideration the road you’re on and your fellow road users. I was coming back across the downs this afternoon where a car was overtaking in such a hurry and breaking hard on the sharp bends. Definitely need some police presence.
When you pass your driving test, that is the best you will ever drive… from then on people do not care… How many people buy the Highway Code book every three years, to learn the new rules and brush up on the old… ?? maybe 1 in 100… when did you last read the Highway Code… or have you ever??
load of rubbish…. maybe you need to do a retest and learn HOW to drive on narrow lanes.. Learn the size of your vehicle…
The route from West Wight to Cowes is via Porchfield for traffic up to sizeable lorries, and is totally inadequate for them.
Once the boy racers in their noisey cars have been reigned in, others may sit back, think and slow down. Motorbikes need the same treatment, way too loud. It’s got so much worse in the last 2/3 years. Way too many accidents on the island.
We need ANPR vehicles over here on the island
I commented on this before, once the blank staring eye of those fixed cameras, Lake/Shanklin etc went, the speeds on those roads went up the next day. We know they were not operational, but it was always a case of they might… and the many visitors wouldnt know either. Who was the monumental idiot responible for the removal of this (cheap!) deterent?
Hopefully if they do get a Road Policing Unit , or three… then maybe they will stop all those that drive through amber to red traffic lights.. Plus stop vehicles parking on double yellow lines at night.. The lines are there for a reason…
I can’t help wondering if the trend for non painting of white lines on more rural roads is a sensible call,especially when fog and bad weather are a factor. Those lines come in pretty useful ?
Absolutely in favour of this. Way too many speeders on the island and idiots who think it’s ok to drive a car having consumed alcohol or put whatever filthy drugs they take into their bodies. The problem of loud exhausts from cars and motorbikes also need addressing. Way too many think it’s ok to have an exhaust with only one silencer and have a ‘pop and bang’ map put on the car. Totally inconsiderate and it’s been getting worse over the years. Yes please to reinstating the Road Policing Unit ASAP!
I drive around the Island for work, and the “boy racer” comments always make me laugh, because I’ll see maybe one or 2 driving like dicks.
Meanwhile I’ll see at least a dozen a day of little old Doris, driving all over the road, straddling two lanes at a time, cutting corners, almost driving in to hedges, driving into your lane without looking, trying to drive into oncoming traffic at the new st marys junction, overall a complete lack of awareness to their surroundings.
But yeah a noisy exhaust, that’s the issue.
Modified cars are way more looked after then any other car on the road. I don’t get the stigma behind “Boys Racers” I have a modified car and drive carefully as its my pride and joy. You’re completely right about the older people they are bloody dangerous, so many near misses I’ve experienced because of lack of control or lack of concentration.
Lol, could not agree more.
I once witnessed,at apse heath mini roundabout, two elderly lady’s close there eyes and speed up.
The faces of all the other drivers was a picture….wtf ? Lmfao.