Sobering thought

As such, it is a number that fully justifies the BikeSafe workshops and other initiatives being launched by the police, even though the accident rate is skewed by the terrain that makes Yorkshire’s roads so popular with the biking fraternity.

If this initiative can save one life, then it will have been worthwhile. But it should not just be about bikers – whether it be people riding a high-powered motorcyclist or taking to the Dales or North York Moors on a more traditional pedal cycle.

There continues to be a hard core of motorists who think that they’re exempt from edicts set down in the Highway Code. They’re not. Roads in Yorkshire’s beauty spots are there to be shared by drivers, bikers, cyclists and walkers.

If everybody was more considerate towards others, these routes would not be tainted by so many tragedies that normally have two primary causes – speed and thoughtlessness.