EIGHTY drivers a day are being caught as police and council chiefs take action against bad and careless driving on Dorset’s roads.

The first month of the hard-hitting No Excuse road safety campaign launched to reduce death and serious injuries has seen 1,690 offences detected by teams of police officers and safety camera operators.

The figure includes the 150 drivers caught last week in a crackdown for not wearing seatbelts.

Additional enforcement has been introduced as part of the No Excuse campaign on top of the normal patrols.

Dangerous and careless drivers are being pulled over by high visibility teams and covert operations.

Known hotspots such as the A35 and A31 are being targeted in the hope that drivers will be more careful for fear of being caught by a more consistent police presence.

The year-long project, launched last month at Kingston Maurward, is led by Dorset Road Safe, a partnership of different agencies including the police, county council, fire and ambulance services and other bodies.

Of the total offences detected in the first month, 1,000 drivers were caught exceeding the speed limit, 250 were caught using a mobile phone at the wheel and 300 were stopped for not wearing a seatbelt.

Other offences for which the enforcement team accepted ‘no excuse’ included drivers without insurance or MOT, and drink-drivers.

Several vehicles have been impounded because the offences were so serious.

Incidents which will end up in court include a man who allegedly travelled at 115mph on the A35 Puddletown Bypass and a man who drove in icy conditions on Dorchester Road in Weymouth with an unclear windscreen.

In certain cases which meet strict criteria, drivers have been offered the chance to pay £60 for a Dorset Police Driver Awareness Scheme course and avoid getting points on their licence.

Head of road safety at Dorset County Council Robert Smith said it was not a ‘witch hunt’ and in fact the vast majority of drivers will be offered the driver referral option.

He added: “I’m astonished that so many offences have been detected in such a short space of time.”

The campaign involves a combination of extra enforcement and an advertisement campaign.

People will also start seeing the message ‘Caught? No excuse’ emblazoned on vacant Speed Indicator Device posts across Dorset as a reminder that those who continue to drive or ride dangerously can be caught anywhere and at anytime.

Motorcyclists are among the groups being observed closely in an effort to try and reduce the number involved in collisions.

Between one and three per cent of journeys are taken on a motorcycle but they account for more than 25 per cent of those killed or seriously injured in Dorset.