Three local schoolgirls have revealed a shocking pattern in the behaviour of motorists on a hazardous stretch of road outside their school.

Isabella Gullan, Helen Miao and Kate Elder, from Malsis School in Cross Hills, are calling for action after finding that drivers frequently risk both their own lives and the lives of others in reckless overtaking manoeuvres and dangerous speeding right outside their school gates.

Earlier this month the 13-year-olds conducted a traffic survey on a stretch of the A6068 road between Cross Hills and Cowling, causing alarm and concern with the publication of their results.

Their findings showed 65 per cent of cars travelling at speeds between 50 and 90mph in front of the school and 15 per cent in excess of 70mph.

To make matters worse, many drivers were overtaking illegally on the approach to a dangerous junction.

Isabella said: "Most of the cars were overtaking, that was the main thing that concerned us. Often there were lorries holding the traffic up and four or five cars would just pull out and overtake them."

Headmaster John Elder said: "Some of the results were very worrying indeed and in some cases verged on the criminal act.

"During the last few years there have been some very bad accidents, in particular at the junction off this road to Carr Head Lane, which goes to Lothersdale.

"Most of the accidents which occur coming out of Carr Head Lane are when cars turn left on to the main road and fail to see the accelerating car overtaking past the Dog and Gun pub."

The headmaster also pointed out that on the descent into Cross Hills from Cowling, the sign warning drivers of the Carr Head Lane junction on the left was completely obscured by trees and that there was no sign at all to warn them that there was a school.

The girls decided to act when they found that a group of pupils had begun a survey the previous year but had never completed the research.

Kate said: "We heard there had been two massive accidents over the last few months so we decided to do something about it."

After they had finished their exams the trio set up camp behind the boundary wall and began to monitor the behaviour of motorists using the route.

Helen explained: "We measured a 75m section of road near junction of Carr Head Lane and logged the time it took for cars to cross it with a stopwatch."

Over a five-day period from Monday, July 1 to Friday, July 5, they recorded the speeds of 1,780 cars, producing some terrifying results.

Only 30 cars, less than 2 per cent, were measured travelling under 30mph and a further 263 at over 70mph only 150 yards after leaving the 30mph limit.

And almost two thirds of the cars were travelling in excess of 50mph.

Now the girls, together with their headmaster, are calling for the council to act.

Mr Elder said: "They have done this hoping beyond all hope that somebody does something about this very dangerous part of roadway and surely it can only be a very simple manoeuvre to extend the 30mph limit.

"Otherwise accidents will continue to happen, our wall will continue to be knocked down and people will be killed through what is ultimately total neglect on the part of the authorities."

The headmaster said that the school will continue to monitor the speeds outside the school and pass on the results to the appropriate agencies.

Bill Isherwood, Area Traffic Manager for North Yorkshire County Council, said: "It sounds like we will have to have a look into this problem.

"We have a road safety organiser who works closely with schools ,who will need to establish the road safety concerns and examine what action we are able to take.

"We will start the ball rolling but if the school wishes to get in touch with us we will be more than happy to talk to them."

Picture: Monitoring the traffic outside Malsis School are pupils, from left, Isabella Gullan, Kate Elder and Helen Miao