DEATHS on roads across North Yorkshire have risen to their highest level for five years, with 50 people killed in 2013.

The North Yorkshire county councillor responsible for highways and road safety, Gareth Dadd has given the stark message that drivers and other road users have to take responsibility for safety.

Last year saw 31 people killed on the county's roads, the lowest number since North Yorkshire County Council started keeping records more than 20 years ago.

The drop was largely been put down to the appalling weather in the summer of 2012 which kept motorists and particularly motorcyclists off the roads.

In Hambleton last year nine people died, the same as the year before. The numbers of people seriously injured increased to 442, a rise of seven per cent.

The death toll this year includes 16 motorcyclists.

During the summer North Yorkshire Police and 95 Alive, the road safety partnership were so concerned they launched a major campaign calling on bikers to heed warnings, slow down and for drivers to think about bikes on the road.

Coun Dadd said the numbers of deaths on the roads this year was very disappointing and the authority is still looking at the circumstances of the individual crashes.

Hesaid he did not believe the death rates had been affected by budget cuts. Spending on road safety was dramatically cut in 2011 when Government grants were axed.