THE Oxford Ring Road has been recognised as one of the most improved for road safety in Britain following improvements made after the deaths of three Oxford schoolboys in 2005.

The eight kilometre stretch of road saw a 63 per cent cut in collisions resulting in death or serious injury between 2003-08, a report by the Road Safety Foundation has shown.

Between 2003 and 2005 there were 24 fatal and serious collisions compared to nine for the following three years.

In May 2005 Marshall Haynes, Liam Hastings and Josh Bartlett, all aged 13, died, when the car they were travelling in hit oncoming traffic on the Eastern Bypass. Student Howard Hillsdon, 21, was also killed in the crash.

The county council later spent £735,000 installing a central crash barrier.

The speed limit was cut from 70mph to 50mph, and four vehicle activated speed signs were added in 2007, costing £30,000.