Drivers are being urged to slow down and make roads safer.

This week is Road Safety Week, an initiative co-ordinated by charity Brake and the biggest of its kind in the UK.

A spokesman for Brake said: "Speeding causes needless crashes and untold suffering. If something unexpected happens on the road ahead – such as a child stepping out from between parked cars – it is a driver’s speed that will determine whether they can stop in time and, if they can’t stop, how hard they will hit.

"The faster you go, the harder you'll hit someone. In most cases, a pedestrian struck by a vehicle travelling at 40 km/h or less survives, while most pedestrians struck by a vehicle travelling at 60 km/h or more die.

"Most of us live busy lives and there is a temptation to speed up in the hope of saving time, but in fact it could be costing lives.

Our roads are dangerous places, where hundreds of deaths and serious injuries take place every week. But by slowing down the speed we can help to make our villages, towns and cities safer places to be."

Road Safety Week runs from today (mon) until Sunday (26).

Cllr Daryl Turner, the county council’s Cabinet member for natural and built environment, said: "The county council is committed to reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on Dorset roads. We work with partner organisations on a number of initiatives including; education, enforcement and engineering.

"National Road Safety Week is a great opportunity to promote road safety and also to encourage people to drive less and, if they do drive, to do everything they can to protect themselves and people around them."

Visit www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk