Police chief calls top-level meeting on highway safety after 18 deaths on Dorset's roads this year

Martyn Underhill has called a meeting on September 22 to potentially rewrite the road safety strategy to address the number of serious and fatal accidents.

The move comes after a 49-year-old man died when his van was in collision with two other vehicles on the A35 near Bridport on Monday night.

The incident has brought the total number of deaths on Dorset’s roads to 18 so far this year.

Last year there were 25 in total.

Mr Underhill, who has made the issue one of his priorities, said: “I’m very concerned about the potential increase in road deaths we are seeing.

“We need to change our focus and that’s why I have called a seminar in September to bring all the partners around the table to review the strategy for keeping people safe on the roads.

“I can find no evidence to suggest it is linked to the reduction in traffic officers but it is clear there is potentially a rise in the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.

“Funding has been cut dramatically – from £2.5million to around £500,000 and that means we need to re-write our strategy.”

He added: “I am very interested in getting health agencies more involved as well. There is evidence that some of these incidents have been linked to health issues and I think there is a bigger role for these authorities to play.

“We need to engage GP surgeries as well and look at the situation as a whole.”

He also expressed concern about the number of middle-aged motorcyclists who have been killed and seriously injured in collisions.

Fatal crash victims

So far 18 people have lost their lives in accidents on Dorset’s roads – there were 25 in 2012.

On January 13, 70-year-old pedestrian Peter Kemp from Boscombe died after a collision with a silver BMW car near Tesco Express on Christchurch Road, Boscombe.

On January 24 Fiona Margaret Vigar, 43, died after falling from her horse at the Loders Arms, Bridport. This is included by Dorset Police in their fatal road accident figures.

On February 8, 19-year-old passenger Mikey Maguire from Upton died when the car he was travelling in came off the road and struck a tree in Huntick Road, Lytchett Matravers.

On February 9, Elizabeth Edwards, 74, from Poole, was injured in a two vehicle collision in Bournemouth Road, Poole. She died in Poole Hospital on April 14.

Experienced biker Derek Collings, 64, from Bournemouth died on February 22 following a two-vehicle crash involving his black Kawasaki motorbike on the A350 near Blandford St Mary.

On February 24, scooter rider 16-year-old Jade Clark from Ringwood died after a crash on the A31 near the Ashley Heath roundabout. Brian Hampton from Kent has admitted causing death by careless driving, driving without insurance and driving while disqualified, but denies failing to stop, failing to report an accident and perverting the course of justice.

On March 29, Andrew Robert Fraser, 43, from Basingstoke, died when his Yamaha motorcycle was in collision with a Nissan Micra on the B3390, just south of the A35 towards Affpuddle.

On April 8, 29-year-old motorcyclist Richard King from Bridport sustained fatal injuries in a collision with a car on the B3157 Burton Bradstock to Swyre road.

On April 14, 66-year-old Robert Taylor from Sway Gardens, Bournemouth, died on the A35 near Morden Park Corner when his Ford Focus left the road and collided with a tree.

That same day Ali Mullany, headteacher at St Joesph's Catholic Combine School in Parkstone, died when her Mini was in collision with a Dorset Fire and Rescue Service fire engine on the B3075 near Morden Park Corner.

On May 15, 68-year-old David Waterland from Wareham died after a head-on collision on Milton Road, just west of Milborne St Andrew, North Dorset.

On May 21, 59-year-old motorcyclist Ivan Tomlinson from Andover died after a collision between his Suzuki GSX and a Mercedes Sprinter van on the B3081 near the Horton Inn.

AFC Blandford footballer Daniel Jones, 23, suffered fatal injuries when his blue and white Suzuki motorbike was in a collision with a car on the A356 Maiden Newton on May 26.

On June 7, 60-year-old John Macaskill from Elberton, Plymouth was in a three-car collision on the A35 at Raymonds Hill, near Lyme Regis. He died on June 19 in hospital in Plymouth.

On June 11, 23-year-old Sophie Crew, of Puddletown Road, Wareham, was fatally injured when her silver Mini Cooper was in collision with a school coach carrying pupils from Queen Elizabeth School (of whom 26 were injured) on the B3078 near Horton.

On July 12, 33-year-old Danny Mulford, from Dibden in Hampshire, died in a crash as he walked along the A31 at Ashley Heath towards his father’s home in St Leonards.

On August 4, Kelly Wood, 29, from Wool died when the red Seat Leon she was driving left the road and hit a tree at Longthorns, close to Monkey World.

On August 19, a 49-year-old man from Cleveland died when his van was in collision two other vehicles on the A35 at Uploaders near Bridport. A 32-year-old Bournemouth man was seriously injured.

Please note: there some ongoing court cases relating to the accidents above so please don't speculate about specific circumstances. Thanks.