Almost 20 people are killed or seriously injured on roads in Sussex every week, shock new figures have revealed.

Official Government statistics show 99 people lost their lives on roads in Sussex in the 12 months leading up to April 13 - higher than all but five of the police forces in the country.

In all there were 1,127 people fatally or seriously injured suffered on the region's roads - up by 26 on the previous 12-month period. Only the Met, West Yorkshire, Essex, West Midlands and Thames Valley saw more deaths in their areas.

Road safety campaigners today called for immediate action in the wake of the figures.

Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson, who has backed calls for the A27 to be widened, said: "When looking at figures like this there is a clear hierarchy of roads.

"Motorways are the safest, followed by dual carriageways and then single lane roads. The A27 is a perfect, and appalling, example of this.

"We are very short of decent roads in Sussex, hence these figures which unfortunately do not surprise me in the slightest. Action needs to be taken immediately."

The Department for Transport figures revealed a further 18 people suffer minor injuries on Sussex roads every day, with a total of 6,702 injuries on the roads during the year.

Last month two young women died on a section of A27 between Lewes and Polegate, which has been labelled "death mile" by locals.

The pile-up involving three cars and a lorry at Selmeston brought the total number of deaths on the stretch of road near Charleston Farm to six in the past two years.

Sections of the A27 featured five times in a survey identifying the 24 most dangerous routes in Sussex last year.

The AA Motoring Trust study also found accidents were more likely to happen on the A259 between Eastbourne and Hastings than on any other major route the region.

There were 43 fatal or serious collisions on the road in the three-year period surveyed, making it the 55th most dangerous route in Britain.

Other dangerous roads included the A21 between Hastings and Hurst Green, the A283 between Washington and Shoreham and the A27 between Lewes and Eastbourne.

Police said the number of people killed in 2007 was down compared with last year but said motorists had to do their bit to prevent accidents by taking care.

Acting Chief Inspector Mark Trimmer, of Sussex Police's road policing unit, said: "So far this year we have seen 30 deaths, down from 33 for the same period last year and 35 in 2005, so we believe the message is getting through.

"People say certain roads are dangerous but the major contributing factor in accidents in speed, and inappropriate driving for the conditions. For example, Wednesday saw the first sustained rain we've had for a long time, and we were inundated with accidents.

"We can all play a part in making our roads safer."

Brake, the national road safety charity, is calling for urgent Government action to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured in road crashes.

The national Government statistics released yesterday show that in 2006 the number of deaths and serious injuries only decreased by 2 per cent from the previous year, and the number of fatal crashes increased marginally. Meanwhile, the number of cyclists killed has rocketed by 32 per cent since 2003.

Cathy Keeler, head of campaigns at Brake, says: "It is a disgrace that there are still nine deaths on our roads every day and alarming that these deaths have not fallen significantly in recent years.

"While there are still speeding drivers and people drunk, drugged or unlicensed behind the wheel, we will continue to see appalling carnage on our roads.

"The Government must wake up to the urgent need for off-road cycle paths, compulsory 20mph limits around our homes and schools and an increased and on-going crackdown on dangerous drivers."

Paul Smith, the founder of road safety charity Safe Speed, said: "Fatal crashes should not be going up. Our extensive research indicates one clear cause - drivers are getting worse under the influence of bad road safety policy. Thousands have died needlessly because life saving resources have been squandered."

What do you think? Which roads do you think need urgent safety work? Leave your comments below.