Dorset is one of the worst regions in the UK for driving offences, new figures show.

Data released this month from private number plate specialists Regtransfers.co.uk has revealed the UK’s worst areas for driving offences, with drivers in Dorset among the worst at buckling up behind the wheel.

Based on 2.7 million offences racked up by British motorists between 2016 and 2017, the survey breaks the crime hotspots down into eight separate categories, from speeding to running lights and ignoring signs.

The data was then weighted ‘per 10,000 drivers’ for each police force area to get proportionate results.

The research found that Dorset has the 29th driving record overall out of 370 local authorities, with nearly 28,000 offences.

This means that for every 10,000 drivers in the county, 529 received a fixed penalty notice between 2016 and 2017.

However, neighbouring Avon and Somerset Police had the worst driving record overall, with nearly 200,000 offences.

This meant that for every 10,000 drivers in Avon and Somerset, 1,785 received a fixed penalty notice between 2016 and 2017.

Drivers in Dorset also racked some of the most offences for careless driving, with seven offences per 10,000 drivers scoring 60th position across the country.

The data found that exceeding the speed limit is the most common driving offence across the whole of the UK.

However, more worrying for drivers in Dorset is the data regarding those motorists caught not putting on their seatbelt or failing to provide the correct child restraints for children under the age of 14.

In the region, the number of drivers being pulled over for not wearing seatbelts led to 203 penalty notices in 2016/17.

Inspector Matt Butler, of Dorset Police, said: "Wearing a seatbelt is a very simple action which drivers and passengers can carry out to increase their safety on the roads.

“It is the responsibility of the driver to ensure everyone being carried in that vehicle is correctly restrained so please, take the time to ensure your child seat is properly installed and that everyone who gets into your vehicle is belted up safely”.

Angela Banh, of Regtransfers, said:“The data reveals some alarmingly high figures for fixed penalty notices across the UK. It’s crucial to abide by the laws of the road, even if your car is in perfect working order, committing driving offences puts not only you but other road users in danger.

"With British drivers now being hit with more severe punishments than ever before, we may see these numbers decrease in the near future. We hope the data will make people think twice next time they consider speeding or driving while using their mobile phone. Drivers should always stay safe on the roads.“

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing, said: “Every year, police forces deal with cases of drink or drug-driving that directly result in families facing Christmas without loved ones.

“While we continue to work on educating people against drink and drug-driving and police forces are using intelligence to target offenders, the scale of the problem is still a real concern.”

However, the county performed slightly better in other areas with the data revealing that only 43 parking offences were committed last year while only 16 drivers were given a fixed penalty notice for running traffic lights and ignoring signs.