MORE than 500 motorists and motorbike riders have been fined or taken to court for fast and dangerous driving, after a seven-day police crackdown on Hampshire’s roads.

Officers targeted rural routes where there have been high casualty rates, in a bid to stop careless and unsafe driving.

The main aim of the operation, nicknamed Triumph, was to stop inconsiderate motorbike riders, but other motorists were also stopped if they were deemed a risk to other road users.

The initiative, spread out over four weekends this summer, saw five people given court summonses for driving without due care and attention, and another 32 for speeding.

On top of that, officers issued 493 fixed penalty notices for speeding, ten for ignoring traffic signals, four for not having insurance and three for using mobile phones.

Another six motorcyclists were given warnings for anti-social riding, and 326 motorists referred for driver awareness training.

Police targeted those using the A32 between Fareham and Alton, the A272 from Winchester to Petersfield, and the B1277 between Wickham and Southwick.

PC Mick Gear, from the county’s Safer Roads Partnership, said the operation was designed to save lives by catching the minority of drivers and bike riders who take unnecessary risks on the roads.

“So far this year, we’ve dealt with nine fatal collisions involving motorcyclists,” he said.

“Last year, 24 riders were killed in collisions so, although there’s been a huge improvement, there’s still a long way to go.

“The complaints we receive are about a minority of inconsiderate motorcyclists who cause the majority of problems, riding dangerously or carelessly, sometimes speeding through villages with 30mph limits.”