Following the sentencing of Angela Dublin, Inspector Steve Bridges said: "This hearing has concluded a cataclysmic year of the worst possible kind for all those involved in this tragedy.

"The devastation following this crash has touched the lives of many people and sent shockwaves through the community as a whole.

"Although an exhaustive investigation has been undertaken and we have identified many contributing factors, we have been unable to establish any hard evidence to confirm exactly what caused Mrs Dublin's car to lose control at that crucial moment as it travelled along Oxford's Eastern Bypass.

"We can not discount the fact that the majority of occupants were not wearing a seatbelt. There can be no more graphic illustration of the carnage caused by the failure to wear a seatbelt than the awful tragedy of the Eastern Bypass last year.

"Every one of us has the ultimate responsibility to ensure the safety of others on the road and I hope that all drivers of motor vehicles will remember this as they go about their daily travels.

"We have lost too many lives in Oxfordshire where people have not been wearing their seatbelts. One could argue that the vast majority of them could still be with us today had they been wearing them.

"I would urge all drivers to ensure that this simple life-saving procedure is followed every single time they take to the road.

"Sentence has been passed on Angela Dublin in the Crown Court today (Monday) and this will mark the end of another chapter for the families of the deceased and survivors alike.

"We would like to take this opportunity to ask that you allow all of the families involved the privacy to continue their grief, and give them the opportunity to attempt to return to a degree of normality in their daily lives."