More people died on Sussex roads last year than in 2003 despite fewer crashes.

Between January 1 and December 31, 2004, there were 96 road accidents in which 109 people died, compared to the same period in 2003 in which there were 98 accidents and 105 fatalities.

This year's figure could increase yet further as the numbers are not completed until the end of January. Police forces wait for 28 days after December 31 to finalise the figures to account for people involved in a road accident in the final days of the period who do not die immediately.

The higher number of deaths in fewer accidents in 2004 was partly due to one of the worst accidents ever to have happened in Sussex in recent years, which claimed eight lives, including a two-year-old boy.

The eight died on May 16 when a BMW travelling south crossed the A23 near Pyecombe and hit a Land Rover Freelander heading north.

PC Andy Huggett, operations support officer for Sussex Police road policing department, said: "Any fatality is a tragedy in itself. Within the road policing department we have to deal with the bereaved relatives and it's not the monetary cost, it's the bereavement involved. Every fatal collision costs the tax payer £1 million but that is nothing compared to the cost to a family."

The traffic department has targets to meet to reduce deaths on the roads so this year's figures are a blow.

Some critics of the Home Office has said modern policing relies too heavily on speed cameras to prevent accidents rather than officers on the beat stopping motorists.

But Sussex Police launched its Operation Roller initiative late last year to tackle bad and dangerous driving.

The force aims to crack down on car owners guilty of anti-social driving, including speeding, tailgating and undertaking. Unmarked patrols have been out in force along the M23 and A23, scanning number plates and handing out warnings to bad drivers.

PC Huggett said: "We are trying to promote the fear if you drive dangerously you are going to get caught and we will get you off the road. Most accidents are human error. Only three per cent are down to mechanical failure."