IT’S good news that road deaths in Oxfordshire reached a 40-year low last year.

But this should not be a reason for drivers to get complacent.

All 19 victims have families who are still grieving and are keen for new road safety measures and initiatives to be introduced.

Although the number of fatalities was at a 40-year low, the number of serious injury accidents has actually increased.

Road safety officers are only too well aware that the difference between a fatality and a serious accident can be a matter of seconds or centimetres.

No one thinks they are going to be involved in an accident but everyone needs to play their part to make the roads safer.

Road safety staff at the county council have successfully targeted accident blackspots, and publicised the dangers for drivers, but they know there is no guarantee the total number of fatalities will continue to fall.

However let’s hope 2014 brings about even fewer deaths and serious injuries on our roads.