Safe Speed Forums

No excuse, as 5,300 motoring offences detected on Dorset's roads
By Margery_H - Monday, April 26, 2010, 12:06

Three months into Dorset Road Safe's 'no excuse' campaign and its dedicated team of police officers and safety camera units is continuing to catch drivers and motorcyclists showing little regard for their or others' safety on Dorset's roads.

Since operations for the year-long partnership project began on 18 January, more than 5,300 motoring offences have been detected, including over 2,000 in the last month (ending 18 April).
Of these, around a third were drivers who were continuing to ignore the risk to themselves, their passengers, other road users and pedestrians by not wearing a seatbelt or by using their mobile phones while driving.
The 'no excuse' team has now had several cases where drivers were spotted using their mobiles and, when stopped, produced a second mobile stating that 'it hasn't been used'. Usually, once the drivers realise they are not going anywhere until the vanishing mobile reappears, they produce the offending item.
Other offenders have been vigorously pursued by the team. So far, a total of 88 people have been caught with no insurance, no licence or no MOT, some of whom will have to reclaim their vehicles after they were seized.
The 10 offenders who thought it was OK to jump red lights at road works and pedestrian crossings also learnt that the team accepts no excuse for this.
The 'no excuse' team, a mixture of Dorset Police officers and Dorset Safety Camera Partnership operators, 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.
The 'no excuse' team can be anywhere, at any time, in plain sight or unmarked vehicles.

2,000 caught in the last month. 3,300 in the previous three months. This campaign is causing the number of offences to rise and so cannot be contributing to road safety.

Funny, they've spun this as catching motorists for everything but speeding but over half the offences were just standard talivan pings.

I drive in Dorset on a regular basis, and the standard of driving is apalling, largely due to the over-reliance on speed cameras for too many years. I suspect that most of these drivers caught don't realise anymore that you can still be illegal even if you aren't speeding.

Don't exaggerate. Everybody knows that if you are below the specified alcohol level and below the speed limit then you cannot have an accident. But exceed either of those by even 1% and you become a dangerous driver.

I wish they'd set up on the St. Leonards roundabout and pull the morons who turn right from the left lane. 3rd emergency brake this morning to avoid an idiot doing this, the girl at the wheel hooted ME and stuck her fingers up!

The one by the country park. (I was coming from Ringwood) She turned toward right across my bows with no indication.

Please don't put everyone on the same level of competence as yourself. All fruit in the barrel aren't bananas and neither are drivers.OLLIE