A crackdown on accident blackspots in Angus has seen a huge increase in the number of people caught driving dangerously in the county.
New figures show there were 156% more people caught driving dangerously between April and September this year compared to that period last year.
There has also been an increase in disqualified driving offences, insurance and driving licence offences.
Chief Superintendent Eddie Smith said traffic police had focused on accident blackspots instead of going after speeders, who were “easy targets”.
There have been falls in the number of road offences involving mobile phones, seat belts and speeding.
Mr Smith said: “Road safety and police activity is very much about being intelligence-led and is focused at roads where we have the biggest problem, where there are the most crashes.
“We have a real impetus in analysing the crash statistics and getting our patrols into the right areas. We really have focused on dangerous driving, which I am very pleased about.
“One of the criticisms early on with Police Scotland was that we were chasing an easy target in terms of speeders.
“I think we are now seen to be much more responsive to the roads which are causing problems and trying to influence driver behaviour,” he added.
Addressing Angus Council’s scrutiny and audit committee, Mr Smith noted there had been four fatalities on the county’s roads in the six-month period to September, compared to two in the same period last year.
However, he said the figures as a whole showed an “improving picture”.
“If we look at all the statistics in the round it is a positive picture, albeit we’ve had two more fatalities,” he said.
“I’m proud of the results we’ve achieved in terms of dangerous driving.”
Responding to a question from Montrose councillor Bill Duff, who noted the large drop in people caught driving while using a mobile phone, Mr Smith said drivers using phones could be a causal factor in road accidents.
Councillors Jeanette Gaul and Bob Myles congratulated the police on the Safe Drive Stay Alive programme run by emergency services in schools to influence the behaviour of drivers and passengers.
“It’s educating youngsters at a young age where they are able to take it in,” Mr Myles said. “It does a tremendous job and I want to compliment all the services which are involved with that.”
In the Mearns police are carrying out Operation Cedar Challenge, Educate, Detect and Reduce which also focuses on dangerous driving.