WHILE residents were asked to stay at home for several months of last year, more than 30,000 speeding offences were still recorded on Dorset's roads in 2020.

The annual figure was significantly down on previous years, but many motorists were still guilty of one of Dorset Police's 'fatal five' – the five most dangerous behaviours for those in charge of a vehicle – and some by staggering margins.

A Dorset Police inspector said driving at excessive speeds is a factor in many crashes officers attend.

Last year, the driver of a Vauxhall Vectra was clocked doing 80mph in a 30mph section on Fleets Lane in Poole.

The fastest speed recorded in a 40mph zone in 2020 was a motorist in a Peugeot RCZ GT, who travelled at 84mph on the A338 Wessex Way at Dean Park, Bournemouth.

One driver clocked 104mph on the 50mph section of the A3049 Dorset Way in a Ford Mondeo.

In relation to 60mph zones, the top speed was 108mph, involving a Mercedes AMG C63 on the A35 Dorchester Road, near Walditch.

Two drivers travelled at 129mph in a 70mph zone, with one being in a Jaguar F Type on the A35 at Tolpuddle and the over on the Puddletown Bypass in a Honda CBR.

Over the past six years, the top speed recorded in Dorset was 145mph by a driver in an Audi S5 on the Puddletown Bypass in 2019.

The figures, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request, show that in 2020 30,507 speeding offences were recorded on Dorset's roads, down 39 per cent on the previous year.

It was also lower than the totals recorded in each year from 2015 to 2018.

Inspector Joe Pardey, of the traffic unit, said: “Driving at excessive speeds is sadly a factor in a number of serious collisions that our officers attend. It is included in the ‘fatal five’ offences that we focus our engagement activity on.

“These collisions can have devastating consequences for families involved and can often easily be avoided by motorists driving with care and at an appropriate speed for the road and conditions.

“We carry out regular enforcement action through our No Excuse, road policing and speed detection teams to identify motorists who travel at excessive speeds on our road networks as they pose a risk to others and themselves.

“We are also involved in educating motorists who commit offences through the driver awareness scheme and as part of the Dorset Road Safe Partnership we work together with other agencies in Dorset in a bid to make the county’s roads safer.”