Bikers welcomed - and warned - in North Yorkshire

In the run up to this month's Superbike Championships, which are being held at Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire County Council's Road Safety Team last week extended a welcome to safe bikers to the county's roads - but warned irresponsible bikers they should beware.

There have been 93 fatal accidents involving motorbike riders in the county in the past five years - with 28 being killed last year alone. So far in 2004, 11 people have lost their lives.

NYCC and North Yorkshire Police told the thousands of bikers expected to attend the Championships: "You're very welcome to enjoy the wonderful roads of North Yorkshire, but drive safe while you're here - if you don't we're looking out for you".

David Lindsay of the council's Road Safety Team said: "Every weekend there are extra patrols to target all irresponsible drivers, not just bikers, on roads across the county as part of our drive to reduce the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. The project is working well at the moment. Numbers are down on last year, but we know there is a way to go yet."

For the past four months in particular, NYCC and NYP have been working to reduce the number of motorcyclists and their passengers killed and seriously injured on North Yorkshire's roads. They have funded and introduced extended patrols and new technology in a bid to catch drivers and riders who regularly drive irresponsibly in the county.

Assistant Chief Constable David Collins of North Yorkshire Police said: "The people killed on motorbikes in North Yorkshire are predominantly male - they are someone's husband, someone's father, someone's son. They are more than just another statistic."