TRAFFIC offences in Dorset have dropped over the past two years, thanks to the No Excuse campaign.

In celebrating its second anniversary, staff from the Dorset Road Safe Partnership said the number of offences they had processed had decreased.

The most noticeable reduction was in motorists not wearing seatbelts, with the number of offences dropping by 36 per cent from 3,237 to 2,055.

Brian Austin, project manager, said: “I am greatly encouraged by the decrease in the overall number of offences that we are processing.

“Comparing casualty figures for fatal and serious injuries on Dorset’s roads from when the Road Safety partnership was formed, initially as Dorset Safety Camera Partnership, in 2002 to 2011 casualties across the county have dropped by 40.5 per cent.

“Slight casualties in the same period have dropped by 39.5 per cent.”

Sergeant Gareth Blacken, lead enforcement officer of the No Excuse team, said: “I believe that the no excuse project is having a marked effect on driving behaviour.

“The project is also contributing to a continued reduction in road casualties within Dorset.”