Hampshire Police says during 2004, 63 people died in crashes in the county and on the Isle of Wight compared to 110 in 2003 - a 43% decrease in deaths.

The force believes a combination of strategies have led to the reduction.

These include the council's new safety measures on the A339, A272 and A32 and targeting drink and drug-drivers.

Too much carnage and devastation is caused by road fatalities, which impacts on everybody involved Supt Mark Bradford

Supt Mark Bradford, chair of the Strategic Casualty Reduction Partnership, said: "To see over a 40% reduction in fatalities in 2004 is an astounding success.

"However, it is very sad to see that there have been 25 fatal collisions already in 2005 and shows why it's important not to become complacent.

"Too much carnage and devastation is caused by road fatalities, which impacts on everybody involved."

Hampshire's road policing unit has also been working with other forces across the South East to reduce the number of people killed in motorcycle crashes.

The total number of people killed or seriously injured on roads across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight also fell considerably in 2004, a police spokesman said.

Last year, 988 people were killed or seriously hurt compared to 1,178 in 2003 - this amounts to a 16% reduction, he added.