A MOBILE safety camera that targets speeding bikers and motorists has been launched as police try to cut the number of road deaths in the region.

North Yorkshire Police yesterday unveiled its monitoring van, equipped with cameras that can spot a speeding vehicle from 1,000 metres.

The van will be used on the county’s roads for a six-month trial as officers try to avoid a repeat of the 20 motorcyclist deaths recorded last year.

It is the first time cameras will be used in North Yorkshire to catch speeding motorists.

The camera van will cover routes with a history of fatal collisions or where speed has been reported as a problem.

A force spokesman said it would concentrate on problem motorcyclists, who often travel to North Yorkshire from other parts of the country and ride dangerously in groups.

The camera technology in the van can detect the speed of approaching and receding traffic and captures 360 degree images of the location, vehicles and drivers.

Tim Madgwick, North Yorkshire Police’s temporary deputy chief constable, said: “The decision to introduce the safety cameras in the area is first and foremost about reducing deaths and serious injury on our roads.

“My message to those who are against them is stop and think about the 36 people who have been killed on our roads over the last three years because of excessive or inappropriate speed.”

Road safety charity Brake has given its backing to the pilot project.

Brake’s campaigns director, Julie Townsend, said: “It’s fantastic to see that North Yorkshire Police recognise the importance of speed enforcement in saving lives on our roads. Safety cameras are proven to act as an effective deterrent to speeding.”

Sites to be visited by the camera van will be published on the North Yorkshire Police website each week.