Motorcyclist hurt in York as police warn of 'perfect storm' of bank holiday road crashes

They say the easing of some lockdown rules, combined with the long bank holiday weekend and decent weather, is likely to lead to a surge in traffic.

Some motorists' driving skills may be rusty after lockdown, they add - making the roads even more dangerous.

Yesterday, the first day of North Yorkshire Police's Easter road safety crackdown, they dealt with a stream of incidents across the county. These included:

• a serious crash in Woodthorpe, York, which left a motorcyclist with a suspected broken collar bone after a collision with a car 
• A total of 12 collisions reported to the force control room by mid-day yesterday. "Fortunately most did not involve serious injuries," a spokesperson said
• A surge in cases of speeding, especially up in the Yorkshire Dales, where police say they are maintaining a 'significant presence'
• Reports of cars racing each-other in the Hawes area.
• A car which ended up in a ditch in Craven. 'The driver has been dealt with for having no insurance or MOT and the passenger was dealt with for drug offences', a police spokesperson said.

Police say they will continue to be out in force on the roads throughout the weekend - including in villages and on country roads - 'to keep everyone safe'.

Traffic Sergeant Pete Stringer, who is leading the operation, said: “Fairer weather, the bank holiday weekend and the easing of some lockdown rules all mean much more traffic on our roads, especially leisure traffic.

“Unfortunately, we know this is the ‘perfect storm’ for more casualties and fatalities. Many bikers and drivers haven’t used their vehicles much during the past year so skills may be rusty, which further increases the risk.

“That’s why we’re launching a significant roads policing operation to reduce the risk of fatal collisions."