RECKLESS drivers are turning Dorset's rural roads into death traps, a senior police officer has warned.

They are driving too fast, showing off and ignoring warning signs, resulting in twice as many deaths and serious injuries as on urban roads, dual carriageways or motorways, said Chief Inspector Rick Dowell.

See the link below for video footage of a 100mph horror drive through North Dorset by a drug-fuelled driver.

The head of the county's road policing department was speaking on the day a report revealed young and careless drivers are one of the main reasons for the crisis on Britain's rural roads.

"There is no such thing as a road which is unsafe - it is the drivers that make a situation dangerous," he told the Daily Echo.

"Young drivers are more inclined to be involved in accidents on these roads because of their inexperience.

"There are a host of natural obstacles such as animals, severe bends, trees and narrow roads. Drivers have an obligation to ensure they drive at an appropriate speed to ensure their own safety and, more importantly, the safety of other road users."

A report released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists also revealed that men are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than women and half of deaths occur on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, perhaps because urban drivers have ventured into the countryside.

Chief Insp Dowell said motorists should travel at an appropriate speed, one which may be considerably lower than the speed limit. Many rural roads are subject to the national speed limit of 60mph and have no street lighting.

Recent accidents on rural roads in Dorset include the following:

  • A 25-year-old man died and three others between 19 and 23 years old were injured when a car overturned and collided with a tree in Biddlecombe Lane, Hinton Martell on October 18.
  • Two men died when a car crashed and burst into flames on Holt Road, near Mannington on October 3.
  • A 19-year-old man from Corfe Mullen died after a collision between a lorry and a car on the B3082 Badbury Rings Road on September 24.
  • A teenage couple from Wiltshire died in a collision between their car and a minibus on the C6 Wool to Bere Regis road on September 20.
  • A 42-year-old woman died and her parents and son were injured in a two-car collision on the C6 in Winterborne Kingston on August 22.
  • A 61-year-old motorcyclist died in collision with a car on the C13 Higher Shaftesbury Road on July 28.