North Yorkshire and Durham Police are among forces nationally taking part in a Bank Holiday weekend of action on motorcycle safety.

Motorcyclists represent almost a quarter of deaths or serious injuries in collisions in the UK despite making up only three per cent of vehicles on the road. In 2021, the latest figures available, nine motoryclists were killed and 67 were seriously injured in collisions across North Yorkshire. All of the fatalities and 64 per cent of the serious injuries happened on rural roads.

Officers say they will be deploying their H2 Kawasaki unmarked motorbike for engagement and enforcement across the county. It’s equipped with blue lights, a siren and a 4K camera which will be used to secure evidence. The force will also deploy several police bikes and cars, marked and unmarked as well as safety camera vans on key routes across the county.

The national campaigns key message is “Reducing the Risk - Improving the Ride”. South and West Yorkshire along with Humberside are joining North Yorkshire and Durham in the campaign in the North. They say the operation provides an opportunity to remind all road users on how to behave and act responsibly on the roads.

North Yorkshire Police’s Head of Specialist Operations, Superintendent Alex Butterfield, said: “We’re building on the success of the previous operation in May to make the roads safer for all users across the August bank holiday weekend.

“The partnership working is key to the success of this operation as we know that so many motorcyclists travel between different counties.

“Everyone has the right to travel on the road safely. We believe that no one should be killed or seriously injured as a consequence of using our road network and we will continue to work together to prevent harm and make our communities safer.”