Isle of Man TT: 2011 crashes 'like war zones', say police

Four motorcyclists were killed on open roads during the TT festival in crashes that resembled "war zones", Isle of Man Police have said.

Thirty-two people were also seriously injured during the festival, initial police figures show, in 92 crashes.

The fatalities among members of the public were in addition to the three competitors killed during events.

Isle of Man Police are reviewing its operation to establish if any safety improvements can be made in 2012.

In 2010, there was one fatality and 22 serious crashes during the TT fortnight.

Inspector Mark Britton, of the Roads Policing Unit, said it had been a "very busy year".

Safety improvements

"We have been engaged in some very serious incidents and at times crash scenes resembled a war zone," he said.

"My thoughts go out to the family and friends of those people that have been died and to those who are or have been seriously injured.

"The team have worked tirelessly to try and keep collisions down but given the volume of traffic on the roads during this year's TT it has been a difficult task.

"We will start the work towards next year's TT by reviewing what we have done this year and whether there are any improvements we can make to keep people safe."

Officers arrested 13 people on suspicion of drink driving and 185 other people during the festival fortnight. Last year, there were seven drink-driving arrests and 175 other arrests.

During the busy period about 1,100 police calls were received by the emergency services, contributing to what a spokesman described as a "challenging festival".