WE have warned before of the dangers of North Yorkshire’s rural roads. New figures from a national road safety report reveal just how real those dangers are.

Motorists and motorcyclists using roads in Ryedale and parts of Hambleton are more likely to be killed or seriously injured than almost anywhere else in the country, the report says.

There are many reasons for this: the narrow, winding nature of many of the roads; the beauty of the scenery, which invites motorists and motorcyclists to go faster than they should; the fact that in rural areas, you have to travel further; the fact that so many motorcyclists are drawn here.

That last is a significant factor, because motorcylists are always going to be more vulnerable to injury, whether through their own fault or not.

The county council is well aware of the dangers of its roads. It has campaigned extensively, through its 95 Alive campaign, to highlight the dangers, as well as working with the police and fire and rescue services. We, too, have campaigned long and hard about road safety, through our Arrive Alive campaign.

But warnings, and where possible road safety improvements, can only do so much. It is ultimately up to motorists and motorcyclists themselves to make our roads safer, by driving with more care and consideration. It is not only your own life that is in your hands each time you get behind the wheel: it is that of other road users too.

Please remember that next time you’re out for a drive, and go just that bit more carefully.