Motorists not fastening their helmets is one of the major concerns of new Road Safety Council chairman, Dr. Joseph Froncioni.

And there are many more! The new chairman didn't need much briefing when he took over his post. He already knew of the issues as a member of the Road Safety Board for the last three years, and saw the effects of road accidents as an orthopaedic surgeon at the hospital.

"The problem I see as an epidemic, more serious than any other disease that we have in this country, is the fad of not tying helmets,'' said Dr. Froncioni when he sat down to discuss his many road safety concerns with The Royal Gazette .

"Most people get very, very concerned about diseases like meningitis, polio and smallpox and definitely want vaccinations for those things, but they don't see road traffic injuries as a disease.'' He says many of the serious head injuries need not occur, and even though the law now requires motorists to wear helmets, there are still a high number of serious head injuries each year.

"Helmets came into this country in July 1976 and there has been a tremendous increase in the number of deaths related to head injuries,'' he says.

"We are really seeing the kinds of head injuries we were seeing before helmets, because a lot of people are having accidents and hitting their head without a helmet, the helmet having flown off because it was improperly secured or not secured at all.'' Government and insurance companies are carrying the brunt of the costs associated with accidents.

"The number of healthcare dollars that will be saved by this country would far outweigh the cost of putting, say, a dozen constables doing just that, monitoring that particular traffic hazard,'' says Dr. Froncioni.

"We see an average of 50 serious head injuries in the intensive care unit a year, but we get hundreds of head injuries a year, life threatening or leading to permanent brain injuries and permanent disabilities.

"That costs money to society, it leads to pain and suffering to the family who have lost a useful member of society. Some of them will need care forever and that is a drain on our healthcare dollars. And it's preventable! "We are an affluent society, we can afford helmets, the speed limit is 35 kilometres and we shouldn't be seeing that many head injuries. Technology with helmets now is wonderful, the best helmets really afford fantastic protection.'' That is just one of many issues facing the Road Safety Council and its chairman, who admits there may be some opposition to his appointment as he is not a Bermudian.

"It's a big job and a little controversial as I'm not Bermudian,'' says the Canadian.

"But I've been here long enough and my kids have grown up here.'' Gone are the days when Bermuda moved along at a slow pace, when the motorists adhered to the 20-mile-an-hour speed limit and road users were courteous to one another.

Nowadays the general attitude of drivers and riders is frightening as many road users seem to be in a hurry and have a blatant disregard for the rules of the road.

Dr. Froncioni knew the job was difficult when he took it, but he has a keen interest in road safety for two main reasons.

One, he is a road user himself, and sees first hand the hazards. And then there are the most serious victims he comes into direct contact with in the intensive care unit at the hospital.

In that capacity Dr. Froncioni's main concern is the care of the patient and saving a life.

"Studies have shown that at least 90 per cent of what we call accidents are predictable and preventable,'' said Dr. Froncioni.

"I've been here nearly 14 years and my impression is there is an increasing disregard for the use of the road and traffic regulations. I'm not sure why but certainly we have seen an increase in the average speed that people go, an increase in the number of vehicles using the road and a disregard for the basic traffic law. That mixture has created a very, very dangerous road situation.'' Two alarming bad habits creeping in, particularly amongst impatient younger motorists, are overtaking on the inside of vehicles and not stopping at red lights.

"All road users, it seems, have become a little more drastic in the way they drive,'' said the chairman with regret.

"Our tourists tell us they are faced with very aggressive drivers. Drivers used to be very friendly as they knew that tourists were very unsure of themselves and when they were unsteady on their bikes they were given lots of courtesies. Many tourists are saying that is not happening anymore.'' Morning and afternoon rush hour traffic highlights the bad driving habits as those on bikes create a third lane coming into and out of Hamilton. It leaves those in cars very nervous indeed as only inches, in some cases, separate the bike's handlebars from the car's wing mirror.

"It's difficult to pinpoint, but generally I would say that impatience is starting to pervade the attitude of road users,'' says Dr. Froncioni.

"It is harder to get from point A to point B because of traffic congestion and people feel they can get there faster by trying to speed. But the average speed from one end of the Island to the other is about the same.

"Whether you drive at 35 or 40 kilometres an hour or whether occasionally you hit 55 kilometres an hour it is the rapid acceleration and hard braking that is part of a lot of people's daily trip from one place to another.

"You really don't get there any faster, but what it does do is, for a brief moment, they are putting themselves and other road users at tremendous risks when they are travelling at those high speeds. Our roads are not designed for those speeds.'' The issue of motorists using mobile phones at the wheel has become a big one here though there is still no law against it. The concerns are many.

"People just don't seem willing to use their indicator on roundabouts, especially when traffic approaching the roundabout are required to give way to them on their right,'' said one road user when asked about his concerns.

"People seem to think you can read their mind and while, yes, they do have the right of way, it would certainly help if they tell you what they are going to do.'' One trucker, who asked not to be named, has concerns of a different type -- runners and people with strollers using the road instead of the sidewalk.

"It's dangerous, at least the runner can move out of the way quickly, but the woman with a stroller, where can she go?'' questioned the truck driver who is also an occasional runner himself.

"It's a matter of using your common sense when running.'' Tailgating is another bad habit of road users and is a common cause of accidents, Dr. Froncioni noted.

"It is always the responsibility of the following vehicle to leave themselves enough room to stop if the person in front of them stops, suddenly, unexpectedly or for no reason,'' he stressed.

"At the speeds we travel here there should be enough time to stop in nearly any situation.'' The Road Safety Council is merely an advisory group, bringing road safety concerns to the fore by making submissions to the Ministry of Transportation.

"We have two very keen people working with us, the Minister Dr. Ewart Brown and Kevin Monkman who is the Director at TCD,'' said Dr. Froncioni.

"This year we're going to be doing more than just talking, we've been doing a lot of talking in the last couple of years.

"This year we will turn the ideas into concrete recommendations that we hope the Minister will take to the House and turn into laws. Dr. Brown is very very keen about making change. We see eye to eye about a lot of the problems.'' Education plays an important role, says Dr. Froncioni, who says the younger drivers are the Council's main target group. But there are also concerns for the older drivers.

"As people get older their driving skills become less sharp for various reasons,'' he noted.

"We certainly have to look at how senior citizens get their licences renewed, and that's a subject that's been looked at in all jurisdictions.

Obviously we want to be careful not to remove their right to transportation, but that has to be balanced with a realistic assessment of whether they are still safe drivers.'' Dr. Froncioni would like to see a graduated licensing scheme applied for teenagers and new drivers, where they earn certain privileges after taking a driver's education course.

"The message has to be given to youth that driving is not a right, it's a privilege and that privilege has attached to it a whole set of responsibilities,'' he stated.

"I think the age should stay at 16 but should have graduated licensing for any new driver on the road. The licence would be a learner's licence with the following restrictions, that they don't carry a pillion passenger, don't drive at night -- most crashes happen in the middle of the night -- and zero alcohol tolerance and zero tolerance of traffic infractions.

"After two years in the programme the restrictions can be lifted. Research has shown that it takes two to five years to get the necessary skills to become a good driver.

"In Bermuda kids between 17 and 19 have five times more injuries from crashes than the average local driver.'' Accidents will happen: A female cyclist was taken to hospital suffering from head injuries following this collision in central Hamilton last week.