NEW figures which reveal a huge leap in the number of deaths on the roads in York and North Yorkshire are "a dreadful toll", police chiefs say.

Tony Lidgate, North Yorkshire Police force spokesman, said new Government statistics showing that road accidents last year claimed 95 lives in the area were "nothing at all to celebrate".

The figures, which compare with to 82 in 2001, saw the county buck a national trend where the number of people killed on the roads actually fell.

The Department of Transport, which released the statistics, also said that the number of people seriously injured in North Yorkshire accidents also increased from 844 to 864.

Mr Lidgate said 23 of the deaths had been either motorcyclists or their pillion passengers, and represented a clearly disproportionate number.

"That's a quarter of these figures, but motorcyclists represent nothing like a quarter of the vehicles on the county's roads," he said.

"What we want to say to people is that from the middle of York to the remotest dale, please treat the place with respect and be aware of other people.

"In this case, the statistics of 95 deaths will send a little shiver down the spine and maybe people will go home a little safer tonight."

The Government has set an ambitious target for cutting the number of

deaths and serious injuries by 40 per cent between 1998 and 2010. Across the country, the number of people killed on the roads fell from 3,443 to 3,431, while the number of serious injuries dropped from 37,094 to 35,796 - or three per cent.

A Department of Transport spokesman said: "Deaths and injuries on the roads are much lower than they were a decade ago, but they are still too high. We will continue to fight to lower them."

Updated: 09:30 Saturday, June 28, 2003