IT MIGHT only be a couple of weeks into the year but it seems many drivers did not make a resolution to improve their bad habits.

A host of Dorset motorists have been captured using phones or failing to have any hands on the wheel.

One man was caught sucking his thumb and stroking his hair as he travelled down the A338 Wessex Way in Bournemouth.

A woman at the wheel of Smart Car was clocked holding a phone to her left ear.

And it was not just car drivers not fully concentrating on the road. One man in a HGV was photographed holding a mobile device and looking at it.

Meanwhile, another man at the wheel of a pick up truck visible held and used his phone while driving along the same stretch of road.

A Porsche driver was captured with phone in hand and his head down looking at the screen as he went along the dual carriageway.

Another motorists was seen at the wheel of a Mercedes 4x4 with a mobile in their left hand and no eyes on the road, with a passenger in the front seat next to them.

Two other drivers were photographed holding phones in their hand at around the height of the top of the steering wheel.

There were also two van drivers seen using a phone, while another was rolling a cigarette while driving along the road.

All of the photographs were taken on a stretch of road in Bournemouth which is subject to a 40mph speed limit.

Using a hand-held phone or a sat nav when driving or riding a motorbike is illegal. Those caught breaking the law can be issued with six points or a £200 fine.

Police say using a phone at the wheel is one of the ‘fatal five’ - five things drivers do that makes a collision much more likely. Drivers are urged to either switch off their phones or divert to voicemail before setting off

The Daily Echo has been campaigning against drivers using hand-held mobile phones while driving for a number of years. In that time, we have published articles containing hundreds of drivers using their phones in a bid to highlight road safety issues.