A 39-YEAR-OLD man from East Yorkshire was the first motorcyclist to die on North Yorkshire's roads this year.

Carl Baxter, of Dawson Road, Market Weighton, was seriously injured when his bike was in a head-on smash with two cars on the A170, between Kirkbymoorside and Pickering, on Sunday.

He was airlifted to York Hospital but later died.

The county's roads used to be notorious for motorcycle deaths, but police said they were winning the battle with their get-tough policy.

In 2006, 13 bikers lost their lives on North Yorkshire's roads - down from 21, in 2005. It was the lowest number since 2001, when there were also 13 motorcyclists killed.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said that was partly due to their policy of fast-tracking the prosecutions of extreme speeders. He said: "Word has spread that if you get caught extreme speeding then you can actually be in court within a week and lose your bike."

He said extra patrols thanks to assistance from North Yorkshire County Council had also had a major impact, and training courses with police motorcyclists had also been a huge success.

"You have to be very, very good to be a police motorcyclist, so they do get a lot of respect from the biking community," he said.

Mr Baxter had been travelling westbound on his black and silver Suzuki motorbike and was negotiating a sweeping left-hand bend, close to the junction with Keldholme, at about 2.30pm.

His bike was in collision with a black BMW car and a silver Ford Mondeo going in the other direction.

The road was closed for five-and-a-half hours while police examined the vehicles and the scene of the crash.

No one else was injured.

North Yorkshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision to come forward.

Officers want to speak to the rider of a white and red bike, who was wearing white and red leathers and a white helmet, and the rider of a dark-coloured bike seen in the area at the time.

They also want to hear from the driver of a dark-coloured Vauxhall car, who stopped at the scene shortly after the crash.

Anyone with information is asked to phone North Yorkshire Police on 0845 6060247.