Three months into Dorset Road Safe’s ‘no excuse’ campaign, its team of police officers and safety camera units is continuing to catch drivers and motorcyclists ‘showing little regard for their or others’ safety’.
Since operations for the year-long partnership project began on 18 January, more than 5,300 motoring offences have been detected. Around a third have been drivers not wearing a seatbelt or using their mobile phone while driving.
The team has had several cases where drivers were spotted using their mobiles and, when stopped, produced a second mobile stating that ‘it hasn’t been used’.
Other offenders have included 88 people with no insurance, no licence or no MOT.
The ‘no excuse’ team is committed to cracking down on bad and careless driving across Dorset throughout 2010, with the aim of significantly reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on Dorset’s roads.
Chief inspector Bob Nichols of Dorset Police said: “The total of well over 5,000 offences detected by the team in the first three months underlines the need to improve driver behaviour.
“The accounts behind some of those offences illustrate just how inconsiderate and dangerous some drivers are and we will continue to seek to identify those individuals through overt and covert techniques to make Dorset’s roads safer.”
A new poster and radio campaign features members of Dorset’s emergency and health services who are regularly called on to respond to road casualties. Their message is simple and straightforward: ‘We haven’t met. Let’s keep it that way.’
Robert Smith, Dorset’s road safety manager, said: “The success of ‘no excuse’ will be measured not only in a reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured on Dorset’s roads but a long-term reduction in the number of bad and careless driving offences reported by the police.”
Click here to listen to the radio commercials, or for more information contact Robert Smith on 01305 224680.
I do hope that its not just motor vehicles being identified as law breakers, perhaps some attention could be given to pedal cyclists as well. [ without prejudice]
bob craven Lancs
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Totally agree, which is why this year-long project looks likely to become the norm in Dorset after it finishes under its present guise in December. The additional overt and covert policing is virtually self-funding through education referral fees so it shouldn’t be difficult to make it the norm here. I understand one person is being caught for driving offences every three minutes in Dorset. Take care if you visit us for a holiday! Check out the new radio commercials on our website by the way.
Robert Smith, Road Safety Manager Dorset CC
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Just have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Dave’s comments. Cameras can only do so much – we need more, properly trained, police traffic officers.
Vince Morley, Milton Keynes
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This is a commendable effort from Dorset but proper effective roads policing shouldn’t have to be a camapaign, it should be sustained and regular. The lack of real roads policing in many parts of the country in the past decade or two is largely what has led to the current poor standard of road use in the first place.
Dave, Leeds
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