DRIVERS in Ryedale and parts of Hambleton are more at risk of dying or being seriously hurt on the roads than almost anywhere else in the UK.

Figures published by an insurance company and a road safety charity show the Thirsk and Malton constituency has one of the worst rates of fatal or serious injury road crashes in the country.

People in the constituency are 68 per cent more likely to be killed or seriously injured (KSI) in a crash than the national average, a new report shows.

The report, by Direct Line Car Insurance and charity the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), shows that overall rural areas tend to have worse KSI figures than towns and cities.

North Yorkshire County Council is responsible for roads in the Ryedale district, and a spokesman said rural roads often have limited scope for introducing risk reducing features even though cars travel fast on them.

“And people who live in rural areas inevitably travel greater distances than those in urban areas in order to go about their everyday business.”

He added: “Nevertheless, the County Council, alongside its 95 Alive road safety partners, recognises the increased accident risk associated with travelling in a rural area and it continues to work hard to improve road safety through engineering activity and a variety of campaigns to promote safer and responsible travel on the rural network of roads.

“Figures show that KSI casualty numbers have fallen significantly in North Yorkshire over the last 25 years, from 1,429 to 476, which is a 67 per cent reduction since 1990.”

County councillor Gareth Dadd, North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for transport, said: “We are a large rural constituency, with the A64 running right through it.

“The numbers of motorcyclists visiting the area will have an impact, as will young drivers.

“We work as hard as we can with partners like the police and the fire and rescue service in terms of education.”

Thirsk and Malton comes fifth in a league of the worst performing parts of the country in the PACTs report.

Direct Line’s Mike Holliday-Williams said they hoped the Road Safety Dashboard would be “a catalyst for action” by giving people specific information on the road safety situation in their area.