£4 MILLION-That's the amount raised from county speed cameras in a year

The latest statistics reveal that the crackdown on motorists in Dorset caught nearly 66,000 drivers.

The Dorset Safety Camera Partnership, which operates the network, today revealed the record fines, but insisted that the cameras were cutting road deaths.

Partnership staff are now trying to evaluate more than 500,000 pieces of data from 131 camera sites across Dorset to see if the safety campaign has achieved a cut in road deaths.

The partnership - which includes councils, the police, highway agencies, health authorities and magistrates - insists the cameras are achieving their aim of making the roads safer.

Partnership spokesman Pat Garrett said early indications were that 200 fewer people could have been killed, seriously injured or slightly hurt on Dorset roads in 2003-2004 because of the cameras - although a precise breakdown would not be available until January 2005.

He added: "We have achieved a great deal in our second year of operation and we have seen a reduction in the number of casualties at safety camera sites throughout Dorset."

The scheme has been so successful that the partnership, Dorset Police and county road safety team members received a commendation in the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards for their 2003 road safety initiative on the A37 Dorchester-Yeovil road.

Their efforts with education, engineering and enforcement saw a dramatic reduction in A37 road deaths and serious injuries during 2003-2004.

The number of collisions where people were killed or seriously injured fell from 12 to three, while the number of people killed or seriously injured fell from 17 to five.

Mr Garrett added that the partnership was particularly proud of its new Dying to Drive campaign, which involved a comprehensive programme of presentations to second--ary schools in Dorset to promote safer driving and speed reduction to newly qualified or future drivers.

He said: "We got a great response with teachers saying what a good idea it was and students saying how much they have learnt and that they didn't realise that the dangers of excess speed were so great.

"Dying to Drive owes a big debt to county road safety officers without whom its success would not have been possible."

Readers have also helped and an independent survey for the partnership showed that more than 80 per cent of those who replied were in favour of cameras being used to reduce the amount of casualties on Dorset roads.

Partnership project manager Johnny Stephens said: "It is all about winning hearts and minds, creating a cultural change within society to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink-driving."

Other future plans for the partnership include greater emphasis on education by expanding Dying to Drive to all Dorset secondary schools.

Partnership success has drawn widespread support including Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Whiting who said: "Virtually all the camera sites are now showing a decrease in the number of people killed or seriously injured.

"Against a background of increasing vehicle use we all have a very strong challenge to face in making Dorset's roads even safer."

County council transportation manager Tim Westwood said: "The work continues to be highly valued by the rural communities of Dorset particularly where motorists continue to ignore speed limits and endanger life."

Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority acting public health director Dr Ian Mackenzie said: "In Dorset the costs absorbed by the NHS through speed related collisions are thought to be in the region of £1.2 million a year. A reduction in collisions would therefore significantly reduce the burden on the NHS and resources could then be redirected to where they are needed most." -ary schools in Dorset to promote safer driving and speed reduction to newly qualified or future drivers.

He said: "We got a great response with teachers saying what a good idea it was and students saying how much they have learnt and that they didn't realise that the dangers of excess speed were so great.

"Dying to Drive owes a big debt to county road safety officers without whom its success would not have been possible."

Readers have also helped and an independent survey for the partnership showed that more than 80 per cent of those who replied were in favour of cameras being used to reduce the amount of casualties on Dorset roads.

Partnership project manager Johnny Stephens said: "It is all about winning hearts and minds, creating a cultural change within society to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink-driving."

Other future plans for the partnership include greater emphasis on education by expanding Dying to Drive to all Dorset secondary schools.

Partnership success has drawn widespread support including Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Whiting who said: "Virtually all the camera sites are now showing a decrease in the number of people killed or seriously injured.

"Against a background of increasing vehicle use we all have a very strong challenge to face in making Dorset's roads even safer."

County council transportation manager Tim Westwood said: "The work continues to be highly valued by the rural communities of Dorset particularly where motorists continue to ignore speed limits and endanger life."

Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority acting public health director Dr Ian Mackenzie said: "In Dorset the costs absorbed by the NHS through speed related collisions are thought to be in the region of £1.2 million a year. A reduction in collisions would therefore significantly reduce the burden on the NHS and resources could then be redirected to where they are needed most."