Two of the notorious "gaps" on the A64 near York appear in a Top Five of North Yorkshire accident blackspots. A new study of road accidents over the past three years takes into account not only the number of smashes but also the severity of injuries suffered.

And the Colton Lane End junction, on the A64 between York and Tadcaster, races to the top of the charts with a "severity factor" of 23, well ahead of any other location in the county.

Bilbrough Top, just a couple of hundred yards along the dual carriageway, shares second place with two other blackspots, with a severity factor of 17.

The study, conducted by North Yorkshire County Council, uses a weighting index based on the severity of accidents, with slight injuries given a score of one, serious injuries two points, and fatalities three.

The report says there were 13 accidents at Colton Lane End over the period 1996-98, and ten at Bilbrough Top.

Many were collisions between cars travelling along the A64 and other vehicles passing through gaps in the central reservation to cross the dual carriageway.

Two accidents at Colton Lane End's gap last year were fatal. A woman was almost burnt to death earlier this year when her car crashed at Bilbrough Top, outside McDonald's restaurant, but brave rescuers dragged her to safety just in time.

The Highways Agency recently announced the closure of the Colton Lane End gap for an experimental 12-month period, but there are still no plans to shut the Bilbrough Top gap.

The council report to this Friday's Area 1 Highways Sub-Committee says that overall, the total number of road casualties in North Yorkshire fell last year.

see COMMENT 'Close danger gap'

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