‘No excuse’ officers caught numerous motorists still flouting the law during two targeted Surround a Town operations in North Dorset.
Enforcement officers carried out patrols in Blandford, Gillingham and Shaftesbury on Monday 20 January and Blandford, Pimperne and Gillingham on Wednesday 22 January to remind motorists of the importance of road safety.
The two days of action were part of the ‘no excuse’ project which aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on Dorset’s roads.
Of the 74 motoring offences detected, 43 were for speeding. Those motorists exceeding the education disposal thresholds have the options of a court hearing or a £100 fine and three penalty points on their licence.
Officers said some motorists were caught travelling through Pimperne at speeds of 55mph in a 30mph zone.
And one lady from Blandford who was stopped for speeding said she knew all about ‘no excuse’ and had requested for the team to visit the area due to a problem with speeding drivers.
A total of 14 Fixed Penalty Notices were issued to drivers or passengers for not wearing a seatbelt. One lorry driver said he had not worn a seatbelt since the regulations were introduced more than 20 years ago and knew he would get caught eventually. The team were more than happy to help him meet his expectations and issued him with a ticket.
Officers also handed tickets to 14 motorists who were caught driving while using a hand-held mobile phone. One of those included a supervisor of a learner driver who was using his mobile phone while instructing.
Two motorists were caught driving with no MOT and one was issued a ticket for not being in proper control of the vehicle. Words of advice were also issued to drivers for their manner of driving and travelling with missed up windows.
Brian Austin, ‘no excuse’ project manager, said: “It is disappointing that drivers are still being caught breaking the law. Speeding and driving while using a mobile phone are the main contributory factors in fatal and serious injury collisions in Dorset. Not wearing a seatbelt significantly increases the chances of sustaining life-changing injuries if involved in a crash.
“There is no excuse – simply do not do it. If you do, you will get caught.”
