On my first day in Bermuda I was shown a piece of kindness that could well lead to my eventual downfall.

Just wandering the streets of Hamilton in amazement, dumbfounded by the beauty and vibrancy of the Island, I found myself loitering by a crosswalk staring at the cathedral.

A nice lady on a bike, clearly thinking I wanted to cross Church Street, waited patiently for me at the crossing.

I was actually quite happy with the view from my side of the road but crossed out of a sense of obligation, delighted that this woman had gone out of her way to allow me across the road, even at rush hour.

Sure that everyone on the Island would act in this way, I then attempted to cross roads all over Bermuda safe in the knowledge that crosswalks are respected by all motorists.

Unfortunately, it seems not everyone shares this lady's adherence to the rules of the road and I have lost count of the number of times that I have been grateful my toes don't stick out any further over the end of my sandals.

The problem on crosswalks, as on the roads in general, is the inconsistency of drivers.

Many times you see one vehicle slow down for your crossing while somebody else will shoot out from behind and race across your path.

Lulled into a false sense of security by one kind driver you step out and risk being flattened by the reckless one behind.

In town it is a matter of luck whether they stop for you or ignore you altogether, while the further you stray from Hamilton the higher the risk that they are simply going too fast to slow down.

You can wait by the edge of a crosswalk, plucking up the courage to make a dash for it knowing that if somebody comes round the corner, particularly on a bike, they couldn't stop in time - even if they did want to.

The problem with crosswalks is a simple one - to be safe they require all people to drive well. And in Bermuda, that simply isn't happening.