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Police are issuing a wake-up call to drivers on the Isle of Wight who fail to take responsibility for their actions behind the wheel.
In response to a recent increase in the number of serious and fatal road accidents on the Isle of Wight, officers are launching a safety crackdown.
In July and August, five people lost their lives on the Island's roads in a mixture of circumstances.
Over a six-month period, police will be working with other agencies including the Isle of Wight Council and Fire Service to target hotspots across the Island which have seen a spike in incidents. These include St John's Hill in Ryde, Smallbrook Stadium roundabout, Calbourne Road and St Mary's Hospital Roundabout in Newport.
Both covert and overt road safety operations will be carried out, targeting those using mobile phones behind the wheel, drink-drivers, speeding motorists and those not wearing seatbelts - the four main trends in fatal or serious injury crashes.
Sergeant David Sanderson from the Roads Policing Unit, based on the Isle of Wight, said law-abiding motorists who take responsibility have nothing to fear, but those who flout the law are being warned to face action: "What we have got is a disproportionate number of people that are getting into their car, driving from A to B, and the only thing that they seem to care about is getting from A to B - regardless of who it impacts on. I want to change that. I want people to know that when they get into a vehicle, they are actually getting into a lump of metal, a lump of metal that travels fast and it kills people. And it impacts on absolutely everybody connected with that person and impacts on the person themselves that's responsible for it."
And Sgt Sanderson explained the aim of the campaign: "The idea of this is to wake people up. Take responsibility for yourself, take responsibility for everybody else and respect yourself. Drive sensibly, drive as if you are taking your driving test on every occasion."
Anyone found to be not wearing seatbelts will receive fixed penalty tickets and those using mobile phones or other devices, or speeding, could face a fine or the courts. All drink-drivers will be arrested and their car impounded whilst they are in police custody.
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