---

Before the euphoria of the Cup Match holiday ­begins to take hold of ­people, I'd like to make a couple of appeals to the good sense of Bermudians.

First, a plea to watch how much alcohol you consume.

We know that ­drinking liquor, even in fairly small amounts, ­affects people's mental state.

Even normally careful, responsible people undergo a kind of metamorphosis - they become people who are more willing to take chances.

They become exhilarated by speed and are less likely to believe things might go wrong.

False optimism

They are also more likely to have another drink and make all those factors worse.

It doesn't take much. For some people, even just one beer can start this cycle of increasingly dangerous false optimism.

We in the United Bermuda Party appeal to everyone who is going to the match not to drink-drive. If you are going to drink alcohol, get someone who is staying sober to handle the transportation.

Go with a friend, go on the ferry, go on the bus. But don't try to drive yourself.

You know what the roads have become like in the last few years.

Don't take a chance with your life or your health.

If you die, your families and friends will regret you taking that chance for the rest of their lives.

My second appeal is to Government, specifically to Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, Minister of Transport.

Breathalyzers

There are four measures you can take that will help keep people alive on our roads. These are:

n Give the Bermuda ­Police Service the legal backing to set up random alcohol testing checkpoints with the use of portable breathalyzers.

I'd remind you again that 70 per cent of road deaths in Bermuda are alcohol or drug-related.

n Use mobile speed ­cameras in areas where ­accidents are common.

These have been shown to achieve anywhere from a 12 per cent to 40 per cent ­reduction in collisions ­involving death or serious injury.

At static camera sites, the number of those killed or seriously injured in ­collisions in some parts of the U.K. fell by a staggering 79 per cent.

n Ensure that the ­Bermuda Police Service is adequately funded so that the traffic division can ­perform its duties on the roads effectively. We all know a more ­obvious police presence ­reduces accidents.

n Install more traffic calming measures across the island and more road signage reminding road users of the speed limit.

Simple things like this ­really do work.

We in the UBP have other suggestions. If you would be interested Dr. Brown, I would be happy to send you a ­comprehensive list of the measures I believe you could implement - ­measures I and others ­believe would result in much-improved safety on our tiny, difficult, dangerous roads.

I have drawn this list to your attention, and that of your Government, before.

Ignoring tried and tested methods of improving road safety has the practical ­effect of contributing to the poor driving culture and the acceptance of drunk driving and use of ­excessive speed on our roads.[[In-content Ad]]

---