PCC welcomes move to Fatal Five
Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, has welcomed an announcement from Thames Valley Police that the force is adding careless or inconsiderate driving to their roads policing focus making the ‘Fatal Four’ a ‘Fatal Five’
The ‘Fatal Four’ references the four most common causes of fatal collisions and serious, life-changing injuries on our roads; speeding, impairment (driving under the influence of drink or drugs), distraction (including mobile phones) and not wearing a seatbelt.
These behaviours are routinely and proactively targeted by the force’s Roads Policing Unit, which is jointly shared with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, to improve road safety.
The addition of careless or inconsiderate driving to the Unit’s focus will see increased education and enforcement around behaviours including driving too close to the vehicle in front, overtaking too fast or recklessly and misusing lanes.
Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, said: “We have all witnessed reckless and irresponsible driving on our roads. I’m pleased the force will be prioritising tackling these dangerous behaviours under a new ‘Fatal Five’.
Taken together with the force’s new Roads Policing Unit (RPU) Tasking Team announced last month, Thames Valley Police is sending a clear message that dangerous, impaired and irresponsible driving will not be tolerated on our roads.”
Acting Superintendent Emma Hart, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: “Our officers are constantly seeing examples of behaviour on the road that falls below the standards of a competent driver. We call this careless, or inconsiderate, driving and that is why we have changed our roads policing focus from Fatal Four to Fatal Five.
Whether it’s driving too close to the vehicle in front, undertaking or overtaking too fast or recklessly, misusing lanes, failing to give way, there are so many inconsiderate things motorists do which we all complain about on our daily commutes and school runs.
These may not come under the legal term of ‘dangerous driving’, but these are all things we will try and educate motorists on, because the consequences can still be devastating.
Where education does not work, we will look to conduct enforcement around this, with penalty points and a fine.”
