POLICE have launched a new campaign - 'If you saw what I saw' - in a bid to shock motorists into driving more safely.

It will highlight the experiences of officers and staff in North Yorkshire who have to deal with the consequences of collisions first hand.

The campaign will initially focus on excessive speed but will continue throughout 2018 to try to educate road users about a range of issues, from drink and drug driving to using a mobile phone, to motorcycle safety.

Roads Policing Inspector Dave Barf said: "The effects of high-speed crashes on the human body are absolutely horrendous.

"I can tell you this because our teams and other emergency services witness them, close up and first hand, when they arrive at the scene of every fatal or serious injury collision.

"But that’s not where the aftermath ends. Every officer who’s had to visit the next of kin to share the devastating news that their loved one is dead remembers every moment of it.

"We had to have that horrible conversation with 47 families last year alone. That’s almost one a week. That’s why we’re so passionate about keeping road users in North Yorkshire safe.

"Throughout 2018, we’re going to share more of our experiences during our campaign, in a bid to reduce your chances of being hurt – or worse – on North Yorkshire’s roads."