A senior county council officer has condemned motorists who drive carefully to save fuel - but not lives.

The criticism comes as it was revealed that 3,441 people were killed or injured on Oxfordshire roads last year.

David Young, the county council's director of environmental services, is scathing of drivers in the latest Casualty Report and Road Safety Plan.

He says that many of the fatalities and casualties were caused by poor driving rather than problems with the roads.

In the report, Mr Young said there was a significant drop in road injuries during last September's fuel crisis.

But he believes that this was as much down to people driving more slowly to save fuel as well as there being less traffic on the roads.

Mr Young said: "Isn't it appalling that people are prepared to drive carefully to save fuel, but not lives?

"Accidents reduced by up to one third, not because there was a major reduction in traffic but because of our efforts to conserve precious fuel by driving more slowly.

"Is it wise for our transport system to be so dependent on the use of the private car?"

Mr Young also makes reference to the enormous media coverage and public backlash after rail crashes such as Hatfield which provoked an outcry over rail safety.

He says this shows that the public are unwilling to accept safety risks on the railways but they will on the roads.

"I like to hope that we can learn some long-term lessons from our responses to both Hatfield and the fuel crisis."