Speed limits will be cut on five of Oxfordshire's most dangerous stretches of road in a bid to cut fatalities.

Oxfordshire County Council yesterday announced plans to lower limits on the A417 between East and West Hendred, the B480 between Stadhampton and Chiselhampton, the B4017 between Abingdon and Drayton, the B4035 between Banbury and Broughton and the B4477 between the A40 and Brize Norton.

In the past five years, three people have died on the affected sections of the roads, with eight more people seriously injured and nearly 50 other accidents.

The move has been welcomed by road safety campaigner Jane Evason, whose 19-year-old son Gareth was killed by a drink driver in 1998.

Mrs Evason, from EvenlodeClose in Grove, said: "It is good because it will save lives.

"There has been an awful lot of accidents on the Hendred Dip. I know there have not been fatalities there but people do go down there like a bat out of hell.

Two of the three fatalities have occurred on the affected section of the B4477, which will have its limit cut from 60mph to 50mph.

The B4017 and the B4035 will also have speed restrictions lowered from 60mph to 50mph.

Drivers on the B480 will see a 20mph drop in the speed limit to 40mph, while restrictions on the A417 will be lowered to 40mph from 50mph for a trial period of three years.

A county council spokesman said the limits would come into force in the coming months.

There have been 31 fatalities on Oxfordshire's roads so far this year, following 33 deaths in 2004, 40 in 2005 and 68 in 2006.

Ian Hudspeth, the council's executive member for transport implementation, said: "Our experience in Oxfordshire shows reducing speed limits works."

However, the move to cut speed limits was dismissed by Paul Biggs, spokesman for the Association of British Drivers.

Mr Biggs said he had seen Department for Transport figures which showed that exceeding the speed limit was a contributing factor in only 10 per cent of road fatalities, and three per cent of road injuries.

He added: "I think it is just pointless. It will not generally reduce accidents there and there will be frustrated drivers who will drive closer to the people in front."