Witnesses said Valerie Hoare, 79, did not appear to check for oncoming traffic before driving straight out at a Chailey crossroads into the path of a Renault van.

Mrs Hoare, of Downsland Court, died at the scene after her red Suzuki Vitara collided with the van at the crossroads of Beggars Wood Road and North Common Road.

Mrs Hoare, who had lived in Ditchling for 55 years, was driving friend Briget Smith, 75, to Newick to join a coach trip to Derbyshire early on May 6 when the tragedy happened.

A well known figure in the local community, Mrs Hoare had campaigned to save the village green from development and was an active supporter of the Royal British Legion and the NSPCC.

She had been widowed a year earlier, when her husband Michael was killed in an accident in Hassocks, and was still working part-time.

Coroner Alan Craze at Eastbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday said: "I have no difficulty at all in accepting that the accident took place in the way in which it has been described this afternoon."

"I conclude that the driver failed to give way and as a result of this, sadly, the driver lost her life."

Recording that Mrs Hoare died as a result of a road traffic accident, Mr Craze said there were few drivers who had at some point left it a bit late to brake, but on this occasion it had had fatal and tragic consequences.

After her death Mrs Hoare's daughter Mel Thornton launched a campaign for safety improvements at the accident blackspot.

For the full report read this week's Middy.