Hampshire and Isle of Wight launch new roads policing team to target ‘Fatal Five’ offences

A new roads policing tasking team is being introduced in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in a bid to tackle careless and dangerous driving.

Department for Transport data shows that 1,286 people were killed or seriously injured on the area’s roads between October 2024 and September 2025. Nationally, around 30,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year.

The newly formed Roads Policing Tasking Team will focus on dangerous and anti-social driving, with particular emphasis on the so-called “Fatal Five” offences: speeding, drink and drug driving, mobile phone use, not wearing a seatbelt and careless driving. Careless and inconsiderate driving will now be formally treated as a leading factor in local crash investigations.

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones said even a single poor decision behind the wheel could have life-changing consequences.

“One death on our roads is one too many,” she said. “Younger and older drivers are particularly at risk, and careless driving is a common cause of incidents causing death or serious injury.”

The announcement was made at a road safety summit in Southampton attended by more than 200 delegates, including Chief Constable Alexis Boon. He said roads policing officers regularly witness the trauma caused by preventable collisions.

“We are determined to reduce the number of families whose lives are torn apart by crashes that are entirely preventable,” he said, adding that the team would also support wider operations targeting offenders who use vehicles to commit crime.

Funding has also been allocated to strengthen preventative measures. Councils will be able to apply for fixed yellow safety cameras, while more than £300,000 has been set aside for speed indicator devices, digital signage, Community Speedwatch schemes and education projects.

Recent enforcement campaigns highlight the scale of the issue. During Operation Limit in December, 331 drivers were arrested on suspicion of drink or drug driving. A month-long operation last July identified more than 700 offences, including 201 for speeding, 71 for mobile phone use and 142 for failing to wear a seatbelt.