The number of fatal road accidents in North Yorkshire leapt dramatically last year, according to new figures.

A total of 90 deaths was recorded on our roads in 2000, as opposed to 68 in 1999.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police today said the figure "gave real cause for concern", adding that it justified the amount of time the force now spends on policing the county's roads.

The statistics were released by the Government's new transport department, the DTLR.

Overall, the total number of accidents was down from 4,847 to 4,577, and the numbers of serious and slight injuries were also down.

But the figure of 90 fatalities, which includes the six casualties of the A1 "good Samaritan" crash on November 11 last year, bucks a national trend.

Across Britain, the total number of fatalities was down from 3,423 to 3,409.

The police spokesman added: "This figure shows why we have been running the campaigns that we have been, from Bike Safe and our anti-speeding initiatives to those looking at caravan safety and tyres.

"What we are often asked in those cases is the old line, why aren't we out catching real criminals? This figure gives an answer to that. 90 people. Imagine if that was one incident; what kind of crime would that be?

"The fact is this county, with its 6,000 miles of road, has seen more deaths through driving in a year than through crime.

"There's only one stretch of motorway in North Yorkshire, and a few stretches of dual carriageway, which means the rest of it is single-carriageway roads which demand patience and care."

He added that the number of crashes resulting in multiple fatalities was on the increase.

"It used to be that most fatal crashes involved single fatalities, but the number of cases where more than one person has died is definitely rising."

Identifying speeding as a major cause of fatal crashes, the spokesman said he wished excessive speed could become as "unsociable" a habit as drink-driving.

"People think 'I'm all right to speed, as long as I don't get caught'. I wish speeding had the kind of stigma that drink-driving now does.

"We have to remember that every one of these 90 cases is a tragedy for the families involved."

The number of fatalities in Humberside and East Yorkshire dropped from 76 to 47, although the number of serious and slight injuries rose.

Commenting on the national figures, transport minister John Spellar said: "These reductions nationally are good news, although there are still far too many serious casualties.

"Nevertheless, we are on target to achieve the Government's aim of a 40 per cent reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2010."

Updated: 09:00 Friday, June 15, 2001