POLICE are urging motorists to take care on the roads this month and not put people's lives at risk by avoiding the "fatal four"

They say people should be aware of the four main causes of road accidents in Dorset - excess speed, driver distractions such as using mobile phones, drink or drug driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

Tragically 23 people have already lost their lives on Dorset's roads this year, four higher than the whole of last year.

Brian Austin, Dorset's No Excuse campaign project manager, said: “Don't risk your life over the festive period, don't commit one of the fatal four.”

He said excessive speed or driving at a speed that is unsuitable for the road conditions is the cause of many accidents every year.

“The difference of a few miles per hour really can mean the difference between life and death.”

Speaking about drink or drug driving, Mr Austin said: “If you drink or take drugs and drive you are not only pitting your life at risk, but those of your passengers and others on the road.”

Traffic cops say distractions behind the wheel can kill such as using your phone while driving or eating.

Mr Austin said: “Even careful drivers can be distracted by a phone call or text message and that split second lapse in concentration could result in a collision. Using any type of mobile can mean reactions times are worse that those driving under the influence of alcohol.

”Road safety marked day two of Dorset Police's advent calendar - an interactive online tool being used to spread safety messages throughout December.

The Daily Echo has joined forces with the police and will be publishing stories online and in the paper to remind people how they can avoid becoming a victim of crime this Christmas.

· You can view the advent calendar at dorset.police.co.uk or by following the hashtag #DPadventcalendar on Twitter.

FORMER Poole High School pupil Mark Pitman died along with two others in a head-on crash just seconds after a driver had been using his mobile phone.

The 18-yearold suffered fatal injuries when the car he was travelling in was hit by a Rover 620i travelling on the wrong side of the road at Queen Anne Drive, Merely, in August 2003.

Picture editor Suzanne Manning, 23, and insurance administrator James Phillips, 28, from London, also died.

Magistrates heard how Lee Jones, 24, from Mount Road, Bournemouth, had been on his mobile phone 20 to 25 seconds before the first 999 call was made. He was banned from driving for five years and fined £1,500 after admitting careless driving.

Dorset Police officer DC Ian Morton, 32, from New Milton, died when his speeding car lost control and crashed into a Highcliffe bungalow.

DC Morton phoned a colleague on October 26, 2008, after realising he was running late for a 5.30am briefing.

An inquest heard the crash happened within a minute of the mobile phone call being made.

Coroner Sheriff Payne said there was a “nagging feeling” he may have been using his phone near the time he lost control. “He was the author of his own misfortune.”

BRANKSOME father Ray Tutton, a lift engineer, was killed by Malaysian chef Peter Chen on a pedestrian crossing last year as he left the Branksome Railway Hotel.

Chen, who was sentenced to three years and four months, was speeding to get back to a casino to place another bet.

Mr Tutton's widow Liz last month backed a campaign by charity Brake to keep drivers at 20mph in residential areas.

RICHARD Blair, 24, died when his motorcycle crashed into a parked car in the early hours of June 25 last year. He was two and a half times over the drink drive limit.

His devastated mother Debbie Orchard supported Dorset Police's drink and drug driving campaign and told drivers: “Please just think about the pain you might cause. Please think about those who are going to be left behind.”