POLICE have launched a crackdown on careless and dangerous motorists after receiving hundreds of complaints of anti-social driving in Dorset.

Dorset Police's No Excuse team are stepping up their efforts to target bad driving with operations around west Dorset this week. A number of drivers were stopped around Dorchester in the first initiative on Tuesday.

A total of 19 people have so far been killed on Dorset's roads this year. The latest casualty was a 65-year-old motorcyclist who died when he lost control of his bike and hit a parapet at the Beaminster Tunnel on Sunday.

In response to the number of crashes on Dorset's roads, Dorset Police's No Excuse campaign now has a dedicated full time team - with their priority to educate drivers into becoming safer motorists and to respond to complaints from residents.

The Dorset Echo joined the team on a patrol around Dorchester and the surrounding villages yesterday, led by Sgt Stuart Pitman.

He said: “It's not really just about the fixed penalty notices and points on licences anymore.

“The KSI (killed or seriously injured) rate in Dorset is far too high - so the most important thing is that people are re-educated so that their behaviour doesn't lead to a dangerous collision. 

“Education is my primary aim. Dorset Police has now created a full time team for the No Excuse scheme, including special constables and volunteers. We are sensible about it and we judge all drivers we stop on their merits.”

Police received around 900 complaints during 2013 from residents pointing out dangerous or careless driving and speeding in their area.

One hotspot that had been highlighted was Bridport Road in Dorchester - where concerns had been raised about speeding motorists near a school crossing. During the operation yesterday, a woman driving a Mercedes was stopped after being caught travelling at 40mph in a 30mph zone with a laser speed camera.

The woman received roadside education along with literature - and was also warned about a young child not wearing a booster seat.

The driver said: “I can't believe I was doing 40 as I'm really strict. I've seen all the No Excuse signs around here.

“I was too busy listening to my son's phone call and obviously wasn't paying enough attention to what I was doing. I didn't even realise how fast I was going.”

Moments later, Special Constable Simon Miller recorded an elderly man driving a Mercedes travelling at 42 mph along the same stretch of road. The man offered to go on a driver awareness course after claiming he didn't realise he was speeding.

A man was caught speaking on his mobile phone while in his truck at the traffic lights along Maumbury Road. The man told police he had pulled over to take the call, unaware he had been followed by police for a few hundred yards while still on the phone.

“It's a good scheme, I'm all for it” said the man. “We all know that we shouldn't do it, but we all still pick the phone up. I just didn't think I would get caught.”

A woman was recorded on camera pressing buttons on her mobile phone while queuing at traffic lights along Damers Road. It turned out she was listening to her voicemail messages - and was also given roadside education.

Sgt Pitman said: “We now have a team working 24/7 to ensure that we can now respond to the hundreds of complaints that we receive from members of the public.

“People are now starting to realise that we could be anywhere at any time, which hopefully makes them think twice about doing something they shouldn't.”

The team will be out in Bridport today before patrolling Weymouth on Thursday.

Residents can tell police their complaints by calling 101 or emailing dorsetroadsafe@dorset.pnn.police.uk 

  • Official figures from Dorset Police show that 15 people have died on Dorset's roads between January and July this year.
  • Another four people have died on the county's roads since July, bringing the total to 19.
  • Last year, 28 people were killed in total, compared to 24 in 2012 and 19 in 2011.
  • The statistics also show there have been 183 serious collision and 205 serious casualties.
  • In 2013 there were 299 serious collisions and 334 serious casualties.