A RURAL part of North Yorkshire has been named as being among Britain's most dangerous places for local road users.

A report by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) – a registered charity – and insurer Direct Line found the Thirsk and Malton parliamentary constituency had a 68 per cent higher rate of residents being killed and seriously injured in road accidents than the national average.

The report calculated road casualty rates relative to the size of the local population.

Thirsk and Malton came fifth in a top ten list of parliamentary constituencies when ranked by the rate at which residents were killed and seriously injured in 2013.

The analysis said that rural areas tended to have more high speed impact accidents than urban areas since vehicles tended to travel at faster speeds on roads with fewer safety measures.

David Davies, executive director of PACTS, said: “Traffic danger has a significant negative influence on society.

“It discourages people from walking or cycling, restricts the freedom of children and means vulnerable road users feel intimidated.”