A father who lost his two-year-old son in a horrific crash plans to use the death as a powerful safety message to motorists.

Steve Mohabir from Crawley has vowed to hang a banner over the road where his son Marcus was killed, to remind drivers of the crash on the A23 which killed eight people in May last year.

Mr Mohabir spoke out after official figures revealed Sussex was the fourth worst area in the UK for road deaths.

He wants drivers to realise they could suffer the same heartbreaking ordeal as he did if they do not drive safely.

While the number of people killed on the roads nationally dropped to its lowest ever figure last year, the death toll in Sussex rose from 100 in 2003 to 107 in 2004.

The news comes just four days after two people were killed in crashes on the A22 near Golden Cross and the A27 at Hove.

The Department for Transport figures, provided by Sussex Police, revealed the total number of car accidents in Sussex which resulted in injuries dropped over the period from 7,331 to 6,932.

As well as the 107 deaths there were 748 serious casualties and 6,077 slight injuries.

The Handcross-Warninglid stretch of the A23 is the most high-profile accident blackspot. Twenty lives have been lost in the past 14 months. The most serious A23 crash was near Pyecombe in May last year when eight people were killed in the worst road accident Sussex has ever witnessed.

Speaking of the figures, Mr Mohabir, who was injured himself, said: "The A23 needs cameras right along its length. We need education, TV adverts, anything to let people know speed kills."

Mr Mohabir is planning hanging the huge banner at the next big event in Brighton, such as Pride.

Gloria Marshall, from Crawley, whose son Aaron Sharpe, 20, and daughter Katherine, 18, both died in the crash, said: "I am saddened but not surprised by these figures. Our road network is appalling and the main problem is speed."

The Government has pledged £40.5 million to widen the notorious stretch of the A23 as a safety measure.