Sussex Police has given notice that it will be leaving the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership.
The partnership is made up of teams from East and West Sussex County Councils and Fire & Rescue Services, Brighton and Hove City Council, National Highways and, until now, Sussex Police.
Its aim is to make things safer on the roads, reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured.
A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Hundreds of families every year live with the sudden and life-changing impact of losing someone they love in a road collision.
“In Sussex alone last year, there were 320 collisions in which people were killed or seriously injured on our roads. Every death is one too many and we are committed to working even more effectively and innovatively to improve road safety across the county.
“Following discussions with local partners, we have taken the decision to withdraw from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership to focus on creating more bespoke and effective partnerships with individual agencies at a localised level.
“We are confident this approach will better serve the public and improve road safety overall across Sussex.”
The situation ws discussed with Commissioner Katy Bourne during a meeting of the Police & Crime Panel.
Mrs Bourne said conversations with the other partners were ongoing to decide what the partnership would look like in the future.
She added that keeping the roads safe was a priority in the Police & Crime Plan for the next four years.
Mrs Bourne recognised the need for change.
She told the panel that the numbers for deaths and serious injury had remained much the same over the last 10 years, adding: “We keep doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome.”
As for the impact of Sussex Police leaving the partnership, she said: “I sincerely hope it does have a positive impact and I will definitely be expecting the police to continue their good work on the roads and to work very closely with all the partners.
“But I think the current set-up for the partnership is the one that is being re-looked at.”
East Sussex councillor Ian Hollidge (Con, Bexhill South) encouraged the police to carry on working with the partnership.
Describing his passion for road safety and interest as a cyclist, he added: “There are too many people that fear cycling on the roads or sometimes walking along the streets because of erratic and irresponsible driver behaviour.”
