Yet another well-intentioned road safety campaign has been launched by the police.

Once again it hopes to alter the poor attitudes, bordering on recklessness, of so many of the riders and drivers on this Island.

Efforts have been made in the past, with little, or no success. Even gruesome pictures of mangled, blood soaked victims, have failed to make an impact.

And only when a life is lost is there a brief moment when cries go up about the need to make our roads safer.

For years, police and road safety officials have been hammering away at the need to curb excessive, and a basic lack of respect for traffic rules, that seems to exist among the Island’s motorists. Both factors have been proven, time and again, to contribute to most accidents.

That, and the inability of the Island’s population to not drink and drive.

Accidents will happen, but few would disagree with the concept that the number would be smaller, with better behaviour by all motorists.

The whole traffic situation needs a closer study, to determine whether a fresh look might be required to stem what seems an almost out of control slide to aggressive hostile attitudes by too many drivers and riders.

Perhaps an examination of causes for such attitudes could also be included in the study. In recent decades, a great deal has changed in lifestyles in many countries, and along the way, respect for civil order and basic values for good living have been under siege.

Here in Bermuda, while we still have motorists who try to follow safety rules, it is also clear without looking very far, that there are many close calls every day, as a result of some motorists who ride and drive without concern about rules or safety.

Making the situation even more dangerous is when people take to the roads under the influence of alcohol or any type of illegal drug which impairs alertness essential for proper handling of a vehicle.

With so many vehicles on our roads on a daily basis, without better attitudes, also threatened, are emergency vehicles which have to move quickly with safety a priority.

The battle for space between cyclists, trucks, buses and cars has been ongoing for some time, and at most traffic lights during busy periods, it is traffic version of Russian roulette. There is yet to be a solution to that problem.

The police have a lot on their plate these days, and they cannot be everywhere at the same time.

With tourists also trying to see the island on rented bikes, road manners by all should be the code for our safety and theirs. Whether the new campaign will meet with success, will largely depend on cooperation from everyone.

We have a beautiful island that we all should be proud of, and if traffic rules are respected as they should be, our accident rate would drop considerably.

Any life lost on our roads is one too many. This is not a problem just for the police, or the road safety officials, it is a problem that should concern every Bermudian.