POLICE and civilian motorbike experts will be out in North Yorkshire this weekend to pass on their skills to others.

An engagement event for motorcyclists is being held in Helmsley’s Market Place this Sunday, April 6, from 10am to 4pm.

The event is part of the rider improvement scheme Bikesafe and follows shock figures which revealed 15 motorcyclists died on the county’s roads last year, up from five the year before.

Riders will be able to pick up a copy of the Biker’s Guide to North Yorkshire which has been produced by the “95 Alive” York and North Yorkshire Road Safety partnership.

And the event will also see the North Yorkshire premier of a new film to support a campaign which highlights the risks of riding while tired and the effects of rider fatigue.

Organiser Sergeant Andy Quaye said: “We welcome responsible bikers to the county and recognise that the vast majority are responsible and considerate in their riding.

“If riders want to improve their skills, we are more than happy to speak to them about how they can do this. Having been on a Bikesafe course myself I can’t emphasise enough the value of this type of post-test training.”

He added: “There is growing evidence to suggest that rider error due to fatigue-related lapses in concentration is a contributory factor in a number of bike accidents, and the results can be anything from a spoiled day, a ruined holiday to a wrecked bike or even the ultimate price itself.

“Bikers are vulnerable road users and in North Yorkshire, over the last three years around 70 per cent of collisions where a rider has been killed or seriously injured, the rider was at fault.

“In order to reduce biker deaths and injuries we need to raise awareness of this fact.”