Inspector Troy Glasgow, (Patrol Department) Community Policing Division – We are now well into the Christmas season. During this season there is much celebration and festive cheer.

However, we should also take a moment to remember those that have lost their lives on our roads, as well as those that have been seriously injured, and their families.

To date this year there has been 11 fatal collisions, up from seven the previous year.

Much work has been done to calm the roads and overall the numbers continue to go in the right direction. However, we also recognize that there is much more work ahead as the entire bad driving culture that has set-in on our roads must be reversed.

The Road Safety Strategy was rolled out at the beginning of 2015 in light of the alarming statics when we looked at the period 2008 to 2015. In this period 29 lives were lost to gun/gang related violence whilst in the same period 92 lives had been lost on the roads.

This indicates a person was 3 times more likely to die on our roads than to be killed in a gun/gang crime.

As a reminder, our Road Safety Strategy has two main areas of focus that are set out as objectives that we intend to meet.

Those are Saving Lives and Making the Roads Safer. We are meeting these objectives by balancing enforcement – citing traffic offenders for traffic offences – with a mission to raise awareness of bad driving behaviour, by increasing our visibility and stopping to engage in conversation with minor traffic offenders about their driving behaviour.

These conversations are recorded by way of issuing a Motorist Advice Notice.

We can now effectively measure our performance in meeting our objectives and through feedback from members of the public who have received a Notice, the Notices are having the desired effect.

Feedback is positive as some of those receiving the Notice have explained how thankful they are for being spared a visit to the Courts but have also confirmed that it has changed their own driving behaviour and they are more conscious of it.

Over the holidays, we would like for motorists to take heed of the advice that has been offered by CADA, the Road Safety Council and the Police Service – celebrate responsibly, be conscious of your driving behaviour and arrive at your destination safely.

The life you save might not just be your own.

The Bermuda Police Service wishes everyone an enjoyable and safe Christmas holiday.