ROAD deaths in Cambridgeshire have decreased by 62% in the past year.

During 2009 23 people lost their lives compared to 60 people the previous year (2008).

Police believe the dramatic drop has been influenced by a number of factors including fewer vehicles on the roads due to the recession, targeted enforcement campaigns and the use of driver improvement courses.

PC Tony Barrios, casualty reduction officer, said: "It is great to see such a dramatic drop in the number of fatal collisions, although 23 deaths is still 23 too many and we cannot be complacent in our work to reduce casualties.

"A number of factors could have contributed to this decline, including fewer vehicles on the road, more enforcement and better driving.

"We will continue to target those people who do not adhere to the law of the roads and educate motorists about safe driving.

"However, this work cannot be done in isolation and all road users can make a real difference and help to reduce collisions.

"Too many serious collisions are caused by human error. By reducing your speed or adapting your driving to the conditions of the roads you can significantly reduce the chance of being involved in a collision."

The majority of the force's work to tackle road safety and enforcement is done in conjunction with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership.

Cllr McGuire, Chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership, said: "At 23, the number of fatalities across Cambridgeshire during 2009 is the lowest on record, and this is welcome news for everyone travelling through, to and from the County.

"However, when the number of people seriously injured is taken into consideration, the overall number of people who have been either killed or seriously injured during 2009 has sadly remained at the same level we saw in 2008.

"We still have some way to go to meet our casualty reduction targets for 2010, so now is not a time to be complacent and we continue to urge all road users to travel with extreme care and thought for not only themselves, but other road users when they are out and about.

"Road Safety remains a top priority for all members of the Partnership and we will continue to work to drive down all accidents occurring on the roads."

Work to reduce casualties on the county's roads includes:

* Conducting specialist operations, such as Operation Anglian, to target motoring offences.

* Allowing drivers involved in minor collisions or caught speeding, when appropriate, to attend driving improvement sessions such as the Speed Awareness Course or the Driver Awareness Course.

* The continued use of the average speed cameras on the A14.

* The force's Traffic Management Officer visits every fatal collision to identify if any improvements need to be made on the road.

* The continuation of the Speedwatch scheme which sees specially trained volunteers monitor the speeds of vehicles in their neighbourhood. Anyone caught speeding is sent a warning letter and persistent offenders will receive a visit from an officer.

* Every month a campaign is conducted to target a specific motoring offence.