Corkscrew Hill junction at Crow Lane, Devonshire is a frequent accident spot, without a doubt, and it is perfectly understandable that efforts are being made to make this stretch of road safer.

However, the following excerpt from an opinion piece I wrote in The Royal Gazette in August, 2009 titled We’re Getting it Dead Wrong will give you an idea about how I feel about the situation:

‘So why are folks dying at Corkscrew Hill junction, you ask?’

Well, I would suggest that when it’s late at night and you’re “full-hot” because you’ve had a few too many at your favourite Hamilton watering hole, your speech is slurred, your vision is blurred, you have trouble getting the key in the ignition, your coordination is at an all-time low, your helmet is on askew and loosely fastened and your fly’s undone, it just so happens that the first curve you’ll have to negotiate travelling east is the one at Corkscrew Hill junction.

Now if you were sober, the interesting combination of dip and curve would pose no problem, especially if you were travelling at anywhere close to the speed limit.

But you’re drunk and you’re speeding and it’s dark ... Good luck!

It’s really very simple. We have not addressed the pre-crash factors.

You have to agree with me that speeding, driving while impaired and improper helmet fastening are all too common on our roads.

We have as yet been unable to effectively address these problems.

What’s changed since 2009? Not much.

People still ride and drive at excessive speeds with little interference from the understaffed Bermuda Police Service.

Impaired driving is as common as ever and will continue to to be a major factor in road crashes until our elected officials realise that the problem cannot be curbed without the deterrent effect of sobriety checkpoints and roadside breath-testing.

The 1997 Road Traffic Amendment Act (giving police the right to demand blood or urine for alcohol/drug testing when impairment is suspected and a breathalyser test is impossible or impractical) would serve as a powerful deterrent but has yet to fully implemented — 17 years on!

We still allow our new young riders to drink and ride under the Bermuda Youth Licence scheme, a situation so at odds with other developed countries that it is laughable.

With this in mind, how could the situation possibly be made worse? Easy.

Line the road with a couple of dozen steel posts that are anchored in cement.

Then, solidly affix to said posts sheets of aluminium each having four sharp edges ensuring that any motorcycle or bicycle rider who crashes on the curve for any reason will be greeted by a wall of … guillotines!

Seriously? Have a look yourself the next time you drive on the Corkscrew Hill junction curve and imagine yourself losing traction on a bike.

So nothing’s been done about the impaired driving and speeding but we’ve made the curve completely unforgiving for anyone who has the misfortune to crash there … simply Darwinian.

It really makes you want to tell the responsible ministry: “Don’t just do something, stand there!”

Dr Joseph Froncioni is an othopaedic surgeon at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and former charirman of the Bermuda Road Safety Council and former member of the board of anti-drink-drive campaign group CADA.

Dr Froncioni has called for years for relatively simple measures, such as proper drivers’ education and roadside sobriety checks.