Whenever this journalist reads comments like this: “Disappointingly, the message about not driving while impaired, did not register with everyone and there were three arrests for DWI offences over the holiday weekend,” I have to wonder what the hell are we thinking as a community!
The quote came from Detective Superintendent Nicholas Pedro, the Gold Commander for the three-day Heroes Day holiday weekend policing plan last week.
While noting that it was a relatively quiet weekend – for once – he said: “Speeding remained an issue.
“Our roads policing officers issued a number of tickets for speeding offences, with speeds in excess of 80 kilometres per hour being recorded.”
Well, whoop-de doo! What else is new?
We already know that Bermudians not only love to drink – generally – they love to drink, drive and ride smashed out of their minds.
We already know that 70 percent of all road traffic fatalities on our roads involve the use and/or abuse of alcohol and/or drugs.
My question is: How long will it take for the powers that be to figure out that this is not rocket science – follow the pattern.
Take for example, these early morning single vehicle accidents. I often joke with my mom saying: “The sidewalks and utility poles that line our roads actually move after midnight!”
She looks at me and rolls her eyes and usually just walks away shaking her head.
But in reality, it’s no joke – in this house we’ve had that late night phone call to inform us that one of our own was hit by a drunken taxi driver – way back when there were no real laws for driving while impaired in Bermuda.
That was a very long time ago, but those late night phone calls are still going out from the hospital’s Emergency Department or Intensive Care Unit, where our road traffic accident victims end up.
Some actually make it and live to go home – far too many, don’t!
Overall, there were 48 arrests made over the holiday weekend last week, including 34 for outstanding warrants, three for impaired driving, three for breach of the peace and eight as part of investigations into other offences.
It was also noted that Operation Vega resulted in 121 traffic tickets being issued, including 57 for speeding, two for failing to stop and two for phone offences.
Another 14 tickets were handed out for no driving licence, 13 for unlicensed vehicles, 15 for having no insurance, 12 for disobeying a traffic sign, two for driving while disqualified, one for a helmet offence and three for “manner of driving”.
When I see two arrests for phone offences, I have to ask: Is that for driving or riding while using a cell phone?
On any given day, during any given week, I see motorists in cars and on bikes texting, Whatapping and doing all sorts of things on their phones while operating vehicles.
Two arrests? Does that mean the police are not seeing what this journalist sees daily?
Couple that with this apparent road craze running rampant on our roads – overtaking on blind corners, heading straight for oncoming vehicles with this dare devil manic attitude.
Add a few rounds of shots of Henny, Chivas or whatever and take a look around Bermuda!
It should tell you whatever it is we’re doing to change this, clearly is NOT working. Then ask yourself what exactly are we doing?
From where I sit it looks like much to do with the same old thing – let’s go round and round that infamous mulberry bush again and again, to no end.
Frankly, I don’t know what the answer is, or how to approach changing a mindset that is so heavily embedded in our culture – any occasion, don’t need a special occasion – Bermudians love to drink.
The sad reality is, they love to do it to the point that in some cases it kills them!
One thing is certain, in my humble personal opinion, whatever it is that we’re doing and whatever we’ve been doing over all these years – clearly the Road Safety messages and the tickets being handed out through Operation Vega are not sinking in!
The message is falling on deaf ears!
The motorists who ride or drive like maniacs like they have no regard for life, their life, or other lives represents a clear indication that our collective efforts are not getting through!
The real question now is what to do besides what we’ve been doing all this time, and does it even really matter?
Does it matter that we’ve lost more lives due to road traffic fatalities on our roads than the number of gun murder victims!
It may sound harsh but it’s real! Go check the record – it’s all there!
We’ve heard years of talk on the prospects of speed cameras to help – but ultimately, all that has been talked about has been just that – TALK with no REAL ACTION!
And like I said, round and round we go to no end.
Far too often, I am painfully reminded of what Robert Cardwell said many years ago on behalf of the Bermuda Police Service – it is not a question of whether or not we will see another fatality on our roads.
The only question, he said, was when – until the next time – then here we go again!
I don’t even want to know how many more lives have been lost on our roads since then, just like I dread waking up to news of another road traffic fatality again – every single time, time and time again!
And sadly, in the interim, the madness continues as usual to no end!
Personally, I decided to take myself out of it all when my driver’s licence expired on my last birthday.
I thought about it long and hard, then figured I just don’t want to be a part of it, so I gave up my licence – works for me just fine!
Ceola Wilson, Executive Producer BermudaReal.com
