2008-04-11

Please slow down... yawn

More so-called accidents on the island recently. Nobody's blaming tourists or kids this time around. Of course, what hasn't changed is the response from the powers that be. Please slow down and pay attention, yadda yadda yadda.

The quote from the Police spokesperson goes: "the Bermuda Police Service in conjunction with the Road Safety Council is pleading with the motoring public to slow down on our roadways and obey the rules of the road."

Then he urged drivers not to use cell phones, iPods or dark visors as they could all cause a distraction.

How about instead of the standard reply, instead state firmly and categorically that drivers spotted using cell phones, particularly those with cellphones wedged into their helmets, face being pulled over by the cops and immediately being charged with driving without due care? Take a hard line. Don't make me have to repeat this post next month.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I completely agree - I can't remember the last time I saw police out catching drivers for speeding or other violations.

There's an interesting study that was completed on safety while talking on a cellphone vs. with an in-vehicle passenger. A good summary can be found here: http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2008/03/want_to_drive_safely_talking_t_1.php#more

We brought in a demerit system lets use it!

Anonymous said...

It's unusual that one of the people in critical condition was driving a car. But no surprise that the other one was on two wheels. I hope they both make full recoveries.

Does anyone have any more details about the last unfortunate fatality on the roads, the Gazette article just said that the guy wasn't a pedestrian and a bike was involved???

Of course I'd like to point out the story about the jeep that hit the embankment, flipped and the occupants got out with just a few scratches. Try doing that on a bike!

When will the people of this island wake up and realize that the assessment number law is killing people.

Two wheels bad, four wheels good.

YAL.

Tryangle said...

YAL, I've began to see where you're coming from - it's basically a matter of saving lives first and foremost, right?

Of course does that mean that there's no hope of improving the driving culture and by at least decreasing the odds of a motorcycle collision, the fatality rate may diminish?

Regarding the guy in Somerset, I won't make any judgement. Police had hinted at a bike crash, but I think there's something else going on that hasn't come to light yet.

Was behind this guy in a car on his cellphone today. On top of that he was trying to calm down a kid in the backseat squirming around (no seatbelt/child seat). It simply continues and nobody's prepared to take a hard stand. Look at the Saturday Gazette. Another campaign? If the Dejon Simmons story can't change the driving culture, what can?

Less carrot, more stick.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it's all about saving lives. There will always be accidents, but at our speeds people really shouldn’t be dying in them, not with the advances in safety currently available.

I'm all for measures to make transport on the island better. I believe the government is working on legislation to allow breathalyzers to be used by the police which would be a great step forward to tackle drink driving. I mean, catching drunk drivers must be like shooting fish in a barrel and a Friday or Saturday night but if you read the gazette on a Monday they normally report that two or three people were caught – and that’s only because they were involved in an accident!

Improving public transport is another easy win. On the west end we really just need bigger car parks at the ferry stops. For the east end I’ve always wondered if you could build a big car park near collectors hill and have a park and ride – all you need to do then is ban all traffic (except busses, taxis, emergency vehicles and people who live or work between collectors hill and town) on South shore road [or maybe there’s a better place to do this on Middle road?]

Yes, we need to improve people’s driving habits, but being a bad driver shouldn’t be a death sentence.

YAL