Drivers will be urged to slow down during a month-long speed blitz in Oxfordshire.

Police officers will carry out surprise checks on roads where serious crashes and injuries have occurred.

The crackdown is part of the Thames Valley Safer Roads Campaign, which encourages drivers to kill their speed.

Drivers caught speeding will get either a 40 fine and three points on their licence or be told to go to a nearby information point for road safety advice.

Motorists who greatly exceed the speed limit will automatically receive the fine and may have to attend court to explain themselves. Last year 164 people died in road collisions in the Thames Valley area and 1,563 were seriously injured, making an average of three deaths and 30 injuries every week.

Insp Malcolm Collis said: "These checks are aimed at drivers who think going a few miles over the limit is acceptable and safe.

"If you drive too fast you will not be able to stop in time for the unexpected no matter how good a driver you are.

"Rather than simply fining motorists and sending them on their way we will talk to them about road safety in the hope that it might change their thinking and make the roads safer for everyone."