NORTH Yorkshire’s roads are significantly safer than they were eight years ago, according to recent figures.

The findings, published by the Department for Transport, showed a 16 per cent reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county’s roads between 2010 and 2017.

There was a reduction of 88 road deaths in that period, contrasting with a 12 per cent rise in road casualties across England and Wales.

North Yorkshire Police have been working hard to make the roads safer by running annual campaigns on topics such as drink and drug driving.

They have also implemented policing operations such as Operation Spartan which uses intelligence supplied by the public to educate vulnerable road users and prosecute dangerous drivers.

Alongside this, the force has been using safety camera vans since 2011 which have been independently proven to reduce road casualties in North Yorkshire by 20 per cent.

The roads policing fleet now stands at 12 vans and a motorcycle which are deployed to areas based on the risk of serious crashes and concerns raised about speeding.

Officers have also said changing driver behaviour is largely responsible for the decrease.

Andy Tooke, of North Yorkshire Police’s Traffic Bureau, said: “When we talk about casualty figures, it’s important to remember we’re talking about real people and real lives.

“We’re talking about 88 fewer families that have to receive a knock on the door and the horrific news that a loved one has been killed or suffered life-changing injuries in a collision.”

Despite the decrease in driver fatalities and injuries, North Yorkshire has seen a rise in the number of motorcyclist deaths. So far in 2018, there have been more biker fatalities in North Yorkshire than during the entirety of 2017.