DOZENS of people died and nearly 1,000 were seriously injured in traffic accidents on Sussex roads last year.

Figures from Sussex Police show 43 people lost their lives due to collisions in the county in 2020.

With less traffic on the roads amid the pandemic, there was a 17 per cent decline in the number of people killed or seriously hurt and an overall drop of 25 per cent in the total number of casualties, from 5,276 in 2019 to 3,957 last year.

At least 908 people suffered serious, potentially life-changing injuries, according to data from the Department for Transport.

The number of people left with slight injuries is likely to be higher than the 3,006 recorded, as not all crashes or collisions are reported.

Motorcyclist Matthew Bush was among those who died in road accidents last year.

The Argus: Matthew Bush: 'a heart of gold'Matthew Bush: 'a heart of gold'

The 26-year-old from Pevensey Bay was riding along Turners Hill Road in Crawley Down on Monday, July 6 when he collided with a grey Nissan X-Trail.

The father-of-one was described as having "a carefree attitude and a heart of gold".

Callum Chapman from Southwater also lost his life in a collision.

The "kind-hearted and polite" 24-year-old was a passenger in a Lexus which crashed on the A24 at Southwater during the early hours on Sunday, December 6.

The Argus: Callum Chapman was described as ' kind-hearted, polite, emotional, honest and friendly' Callum Chapman was described as ' kind-hearted, polite, emotional, honest and friendly'

Ryan Gleeson from Horsham died on Christmas Eve when the car he was in collided with a tree off Washington Road in Steyning.

The 21-year-old was described as "a beautiful soul", whose smile "lit up the room".

Road traffic across Britain dropped by over a fifth in 2020 compared to the previous year with the overall number of casualties plunging by a quarter in that time.

However, cyclist deaths rose, from 100 in 2019 to 140 last year.

The AA say the government must do more to eradicate road deaths completely by the end of the decade.

The Argus: Ryan Gleeson's family said he had 'a beautiful soul'Ryan Gleeson's family said he had 'a beautiful soul'

A spokesman for road safety charity Brake called for better investment in vehicle safety and infrastructure, more segregated spaces for cyclists and pedestrians and appropriate speed limits.

He said: "Every death on our roads is a tragedy for the victims’ loved ones, while injuries can have devastating consequences on an individual’s life.

"We need a concerted focus on reducing road deaths and catastrophic injuries.

"This requires ambitious targets to end the carnage on our roads."

AA president Edmund King said 2020's reduction in road traffic casualties should not become a "one-off" as he called for the government to introduce road safety targets.

He said: “Regardless of how we use the roads, we all have a responsibility to one another to ensure people can travel safely.”

“For many years the government has not set any road safety targets.

"If we are serious about a vision zero for road deaths the government should urgently reintroduce targets so we can work hard to end road deaths as quickly as possible.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “While we have some of the safest roads in the world, this government will continue to work tirelessly to ensure they are made even safer.

“Our targeted THINK! Campaign continues to educate road-users, and as part of our 2019 Road Safety Statement we committed to a two-year action plan to help promote safer driving on our roads.”