A plan to reduce deaths on the roads in our region has been published by Thames Valley's police and crime commissioner Matthew Barber.

The Road Safety Strategy seeks to strengthen the collaboration between the various agencies responsible for the road network across the Thames Valley with the aim of creating safer roads for all.

It comes amid a number of tragic deaths on Oxfordshire's roads in recent months.

Elliot Pullen, 17, Daniel Hancock, 18 and Ethan Goddard, 18 all died in the early hours of June last year after a BMW they were passengers in crashed into a tree in Frilford Road, Marcham.

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Driver Thomas Johnson, 19, of Stainswick Lane, Shrivenham, has already said he will plead guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Then in January Lee Diamond, aged 33, was killed when his car hit a roundabout and turned over in Banbury.

The same weekend a woman in her 40s who had got out of her car, having stopped on the hard shoulder, was killed in a collision with a heavy goods vehicle on the M40 near Thame.

Also in January a man in his 40s died at the scene of a three-vehicle crash involving two lorries on the A420, near Faringdon.

In September a fundraising appeal was launched to support the wife and young son of a 37-year-old Lukasz Wolski, from Banbury, who was killed when his van collided with a lorry on the M40 near Gaydon.

In May lorry driver Justin Buxton, from Rugby, died when his vehicle hit a central reservation and bridge support on the M40 between junction 8A and Oxford Services.

Mr Barber said: “The average number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads in Thames Valley has decreased in the three years since 2020 but we need stronger partnership working, with a focus on our faster, high harm routes, if we are to see further reductions in casualties.

“My Road Safety Strategy outlines the collaboration needed to create a safer road network and save lives.

"Whether that be enhancing the enforcement capability of the police, designing safer roads or improving the emergency service response when incidents do occur, the police, local authorities, National Highways and the other emergency services all have a role to play in reducing fatalities and enhancing overall traffic safety.”

Key priorities outlined in the Road Safety Strategy include; educating the public about safe driving practices and traffic laws, enforcing traffic laws to deter unsafe behaviour, sharing data to identify collision hotspots and inform improvements to the road network, improving road infrastructure, supporting a swift emergency response to incidents and providing better support for victims.

The Strategy promotes the application of the Safe Systems Approach to road safety – safe behaviour, safe vehicles, safe roads, safe speeds and a rapid post-collision response.

The PCC is calling on partners from across Thames Valley Police, highways authorities, National Highways, the emergency services and other relevant agencies to establish a Thames Valley Strategic Road Safety Partnership to oversee the implementation of the Safe Systems Approach and deliver the objectives set out in the Road Safety Strategy.

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Superintendent Mark Lewis, head of the Roads Policing Unit at Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, said: “We are proud to support the launch of this Road Safety Strategy, aimed at enhancing the safety of our road network in collaboration with our partners.

“While we welcome the recent decrease in serious injuries and fatalities on our roads, we are deeply aware that every road death is a devastating loss, with lasting impacts on families and communities.

“Drivers who choose to operate their vehicles in dangerous, intimidating, or illegal ways will be met by our officers, working in close partnership with other agencies to ensure a safer road network for all.”

The PCC’s Road Safety Strategy was developed in consultation with Thames Valley Police, highway authorities, councillors, interest groups, road safety and transportation professionals and other key stakeholders.