POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a motorcyclist died in a collision in the Yorkshire Dales.

The fatal accident occurred as campaigners visited one of the region's biggest biker events to spread the road safety message.

The 59-year-old man from Penrith in Cumbria was riding a silver Honda Blackbird on the B6255 near Hawes when he was involved in an accident with a grey Toyota RAV 4 at about 4.35pm on Sunday (September 14).

The motorcyclist was riding towards Ingleton with three other bikers when he collided with the car heading in the opposite direction.

The incident happened about three miles south west of Hawes.

The driver of the Toyota, a woman in her 40s from the Bedale area, suffered slight injuries.

The road was closed for several hours to allow emergency services to deal with the casualties and for collision investigators to examine the scene.

Police are appealing to anyone who saw a group of four bikers travelling along the three-mile stretch of the Hawes to Ingleton road between 4.15pm and 4.35pm, or the grey Toyota, prior to the crash, to contact them.

They are also appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision to get in touch if they have not already done so.

Earlier in the day road safety campaigners from the 95 Alive Road Safety Partnership were at the Oliver’s Mount Races in Scarborough to talk to bikers about road safety.

They were joined by chairman of the North Yorkshire County Council and former motorcycle racer, Councillor Tim Swales.

He said: "I understand the pleasures of riding a motorbike. But everyone must ride within their limits. If they don’t know what they are, they could do what I did, ride on a track and find the limits of my ability in a safe environment.

"I talked to many bikers at Oliver’s Mount races and it is clear that some riders are still not taking ownership for their own safety. I would ask all bikers to consider taking part in some sort of advanced training."

In 2013, 16 motorcyclists died and 115 suffered serious injuries on North Yorkshire's roads.

Those bikers most likely to be involved in a collision were men aged between 40 and 59, who rode sports bikes over 500cc.

Anyone with any information on the collision should call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option two and ask for the major collision investigation team.

Alternatively witnesses can email MCIT@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk or rick.harper@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk