A six-figure road-safety fund is set to be announced in Cambridgeshire, as local authorities and emergency services prepare to sign a commitment to reduce road collisions in the area.

Local councillors and heads of emergency services will sign a declaration of intent to improve road safety in Cambridgeshire on Friday 26 February at a conference held by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership. A £100,000 fund will also be announced at the conference to support the work of the road safety partnership.

The declaration will set out to reduce road deaths by ensuring a rapid response to collisions, reviewing road layouts and speed limits and promoting early intervention.

The conference coincides with a two-month campaign from road safety charity Think! aimed at targeting drug drivers across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Road police in the area will conduct an increased number of checks throughout February and March in a bid to crack down on drug driving offences.

In March 2015 the drug driving law changed to make it easier for police to catch and convict drivers under the influence of drugs.

Provisional statistics show that 34 people were killed and 309 people were seriously injured on Cambridgeshire roads during 2015.

Helen Williams, a senior road accident solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “Any initiative aimed at reducing deaths on UK roads is something that we welcome and we hope that this declaration from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership will pave the way for safer roads in the area.

“However, while localised campaigns play a vital role in reducing road traffic accidents, the government has a much bigger role to play in improving road safety across the UK.

“Only by ensuring traffic police are properly resourced to maintain a presence on the roads, and vital improvements are made to road infrastructure can we expect to see the rising trend in road deaths reversed.”