The number of people killed on West Sussex roads has fallen.

A new report, Road Casualties in West Sussex 1999, reveals the number of people killed or seriously hurt is lower than two years ago.

But the number injured is still high across the county.

Last year 552 people were killed or seriously hurt on the county's roads, well below the target of 614, but 4.087 people were injured.

In 1987 the Government set a national target of reducing road casualties by a third by 2000 and West Sussex was given the target of 2,625.

The report shows 17 to 25-year-olds were most at risk. That age group made up 24 per cent of the casualty total. Ten per cent of all casualties are pensioners.

Harold Hall, Cabinet member for Strategic Environmental Services, said: "There are some encouraging signs but no cause to relax.

"We have new targets set for 2010 - to reduce serious incidents overall by 40 per cent and to halve those involving children.

"We have bid for Government funding to help us deal with underlying causes and have put in place a strategy designed to get drivers to cut their speed."

Mr Hall said: "We will try a package of related measures in one area where there's cause for concern about incidents involving children, and use that experience to tackle every such area.

"But the greatest contribution to casualty reduction has to come from individuals in the way we behave."