One of England's most eminent road safety experts is calling for a public inquiry into the A23 crash which claimed eight lives.

Lord Berkeley, a peer and president of the Road Danger Reduction Forum, accused the Government of trivialising the tragedy.

He believes an independent investigation would have been inevitable if such loss of life had happened on the railways.

The crash happened when a BMW heading south flipped over the central reservation into the path of a Land Rover. Lord Berkeley told the House of Lords this may have been the result of catastrophic failures in the management of the dual carriageway.

In a series of written questions to Home Office minister Baroness Scotland of Asthal, he raised the possibility of the highways authority being investigated for corporate manslaughter.

He also asked whether there were any plans to reduce the speed limit at the stretch just north of Pyecombe.

Lord Berkeley believes the speed limit should be cut to 50mph until the publication of a report.

He said: "I have done a lot of work in connection with the railways and I see government agencies treating roads and rail in such vastly different ways.

"This is a real worry. They are not taking it seriously. Eight people were killed. It's a very good example of double standards in transport."

There were no arrests following the crash, although Sussex Police initially declared the site a scene of crime, closing the road for more than 15 hours.

Baroness Scotland said: "It is too early to say if there will be a public inquiry. The police will, however, prepare a comprehensive report for the coroner of West Sussex."

Maintenance of the road, which carries 68,000 motorists a day, is the responsibility of the Highways Agency, which has commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory to investigate.

Baroness Scotland said the agency did not intend to reduce the speed limit.

She said: "The police investigation will include the actions and responsibilities of all individuals and organisations."

Lord Berkeley said a Government report would not apportion blame whereas an independent inquiry would discover whether the maintenance of the road was a factor.

He said: "Who is going to turn around and say you didn't maintain that road and you should have put a lower speed limit on? No one, because that would be implicating their own kind and the Government doesn't do that."

The Department for Transport refused to respond to Lord Berkeley's comments, referring all inquiries to the Highways Agency.

A spokesman for the agency said: "We cannot comment other than to say we are investigating."

The crash killed all five occupants of the BMW - Katherine Sharpe, 18, her brother Aaron, 20, Gemma Smoker, 17, Mitch Treliving, 19, and Danielle Billingham, 17.

Toby Beasley, 33, his wife Kate and two-year-old Marcus Mohabir, all travelling in the Land Rover, also died.