A POLICE team dedicated to making Dorset roads safer tackled nearly 20 cases of bad or dangerous driving every DAY for three months.

The Dorset Police No Excuse team dealt with 1,650 cases between January 20 and April 19.

Comprising one sergeant, six PCs, two staff inquiry officers and volunteers, the team uses a combination of enforcement and education to tackle poor driving.

Officers focus on the so-called fatal five - drink and drug driving, excessive and inappropriate speed, not wearing a seatbelt, driver distractions such as using a hand-held mobile phone and careless driving.

It makes the public aware of its actions by publishing where officers and safety camera teams will be located on Twitter, Facebook and the Dorset Police website.

Tickets were issued for a range of offences. Eight motorists were arrested for drink and drug driving and driving without a licence and 53 drivers were sent to court for extreme speeding.

Eight out of ten offenders who met the criteria took up places on the Driver Awareness Course rather than going to court or receiving a £100 fixed penalty notice and three penalty points on their licence.

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill said: “Road safety remains a priority and I praise the work that is taking place to keep our roads safe. I remain fully committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads.”

No Excuse Operations Manager, Brian Austin, added: “This initiative is one of the tools in our armoury to remove bad and careless driving from our roads. The large number of concerns we receive proves that the public are keen for the No Excuse team to visit their communities and take action against those who put them and their loved ones at risk.

“There is no excuse to break the traffic laws in Dorset.

"They are there for your safety and the safety of those around you.”

Members of the public are urged to report concerns about bad or careless driving to dorsetroadsafe@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101. Please provide as much information as you can such as vehicle registration numbers, colour and make of vehicles and general times the vehicles are seen.

To follow the ‘No Excuse’ team and their locations visit: dorsetpolice.co.uk facebook.com/dorsetpolicenoexcuse twitter.com/dorsetnoexcuse