SPEEDING offences were up by almost 50 per cent year on year in Dorset, according to new figures released.
The Ministry of Justice figures reveal 1,849 motorists caught by Dorset Police were convicted in courts for speeding offences in 2022.
This is 49 per cent up from 1,241 convictions the year before and, overall, 73 per cent of the 2,535 drivers in Dorset who ended up before a judge for speeding were eventually convicted of the offence.
Three points on your licence and a minimum penalty of £100 is what most speeders are sanctioned with, but getting 12 or more points in three years may lead to disqualification.
Police Inspector Craig Tatton, of Dorset Police’s traffic unit, told the Echo there is “no excuse for speeding and taking reckless actions” while behind the wheel.
He added: “Driving at excessive speed not only puts yourself in danger, but it also endangers other road users and increases the risk of a collision occurring.”
RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said the figures make for “grim reading”, adding: “The fact the number of court convictions has risen in just a year seems to imply an increase in the proportion of serious cases having to be dealt with in legal proceedings.
Read more: Why this speed camera in Bournemouth has not worked for 10 years
“While it is clearly wrong to be just a few miles an hour over the limit, arguably it is prolific excessive speeders who are putting people’s lives in danger.
“An increase in these drivers will have frightening consequences for the safety of our roads.”
Last month, the Echo revealed through a Freedom of Information dozens of vehicles were caught speeding at speeds over 100mph in Dorset in the past three years.
Read more: Motorists "wrongfully" issued speeding tickets on A338
It also revealed the land speed record in the county was from a Volkswagen Golf, clocked at 124mph on the A30 Babylon Hill.
A Ferrari California was also caught at 115mph on the A303 Bourton.
A separate FOI shows the speed camera which clocked the greatest number of cars traveling beyond the speed limit, on the A338 Spur Road southbound from Blackwater to Cooper Dean, flashed more than 7,500 people in one year.
Nicholas Mantel, head of Churchill Motor Insurance, said: “Speeding is one of the main causes of road accidents and our research suggests that the problem is getting worse.
“Many drivers accidentally creep above the limit rather than speeding deliberately.”
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