---

We are not doing enough to stop the carnage on our roads. We cannot continue to wring our hands. Something must be done to turn around the situation.

Recently we had three deaths in a week: this tells us that nothing meaningful is happening to stop the slaughter. If the same number of people had been killed by gunshots, I believe we would be in the grip of a national emergency, with the island's leadership huddling to announce plans of action to diminish the problem.

That is not happening even though the breakdown in road safety threatens our quality of life, our attractiveness as a business centre and the lives of Bermudians and visitors, young and old.

I am very concerned that Bermuda is getting used to road deaths and serious injury as a fact of everyday life however unpalatable.

It doesn't have to be this way. We must make an effort to do something even if the problem is deep-set.

What the situation requires first and foremost is leadership. Nothing will happen without someone - in this case the Premier as Transportation Minister - taking charge to reduce the number of road fatalities.

I would urge him to view the road safety situation in Bermuda as a national emergency and to come forward with a "Safer Roads" programme.

Concrete life-saving measures can be put in place now. All they require is the will to get it done. Here's a life-saving punch list to get him started:

n Provide budget support to the Bermuda Police Service to increase the traffic division for a stronger, more visible Police presence on the roads;

n Introduce speed cameras;

n Increase the number of Project Ride hours;

n Install more traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps;

n Increased road lighting (solar-powered);

n Install 'cat's eyes' in centre lines to improve visibility at night or in poor weather;

n Redesign crosswalks for safer pedestrian crossings;

n Introduce more skid resistant road surfacing;

n Commit to later hours for the running of public buses;

n Complete enforcement of existing traffic laws;

n Random sobriety legislation in place along with the tools to allow road side testing.

Each of these proposals has been thoroughly tested in other jurisdictions and has been proven to reduce road accidents and deaths significantly.

I would add to this list TCD testing for the quality of safety helmets when testing bikes. Proper helmets and proper use of helmets can be the difference between life and death.

Finally, while road safety is ultimately about individual responsibility, the government can help end poor driving habits through the use of legislative measures that encourage people to drive within the rules of the road.

Senator Michael Fahy is Shadow Minister for

Transportation.[[In-content Ad]]

---