“SHOCKING” numbers of drivers are putting lives at risk on Dorset’s roads – despite nine months of a major road safety campaign.

The No Excuse campaign has caught 15,000 people for driving offences since January – with 5,000 offences recorded in the last three months.

Robert Smith, road safety manager for Dorset County Council, said: “I’m sure that most people would agree that the non-seatbelt wearing and mobile phone use figures are shocking and that there is absolutely no excuse for this.”

He said there was now a much greater chance of being caught for bad and careless driver behaviour.

Offenders have included:

• A woman in Poole who took both hands off the steering wheel in a frantic bid to shoo a fly out of her car. She was fined despite protesting that she was in full control of the vehicle.

• A woman who used both hands to smooth her hair as she drove through Ferndown.

• A passenger who said she was going without a seatbelt to protect her unborn baby – although she was smoking at the time.

• A bike rider who took both hands off the handlebars to give a double “thumbs up” to a friend travelling in the opposite direction.

• A JCB driver who claimed it was all right to use his mobile phone because he was travelling slowly.

• A woman in Turbary Park Avenue, Bournemouth, who accused police of being “sneaky” because they were not wearing high-visibility jackets when they caught her travelling at 39mph in a 30 limit. Officers pointed out that young children in the area were not wearing fluorescent jackets either.

Chief Inspector Bob Nichols of Dorset Police, said “significant” numbers of drivers continue to flout the law despite a survey suggesting that 84 per cent of members of the public have heard of the No Excuse campaign.

Launched on January 18, the campaign has seen more police and safety camera teams on the roads. Nearly 2,500 drivers or passengers have been caught for not wearing a seatbelt and 1,000 for using mobile phones.

Ian Belchamber, from the campaigning website Dorset Speed, claimed the campaign was too focused on hitting targets.

“No Excuse seemed like a huge step in the right direction – real police looking for real problems, something more than the pointless yellow boxes,” he said.

“But when we hear the results from some of the No Excuse operations, they seem really good at raising huge numbers of fines, but little use at preventing properly dangerous driving and improving driving attitude.

“I’ve not noticed any improvement in driving or accident counts since No Excuse started. Yes, they will catch the odd drunk driver or serious speeder, but the results suggest it is quantity, not quality, they are looking for.”