Traffic Police have joined forces with the Ministry of Transport in a zero tolerance crackdown against bad drivers on the roads of Bermuda.

Eight people have died on the roads so far this year - two in less than a week - leading officers to threaten a greater number of road blocks and tickets in the drive to improve motoring habits on the roads.

Drink driving, dangerous overtaking, speeding, unfastened helmets and the unofficial third lane created by bikes are to be tackled, with officers promising a tough stance and no excuses.

The campaign comes after 24-year-old Lloyd Dellano Burch died of head injuries on Wednesday after he tried to overtake and collided with an oncoming vehicle in Somerset, and a week after six-year-old Tyaisha Cox was killed as she innocently tried to cross the road using a pedestrian crossing in Warwick.

P.c. Dorian Astwood, of Bermuda Traffic Unit, said the days of ignoring small offences were now over.

“Bermuda Police Service is taking a zero tolerance towards these offences,” he said.

“Obviously, trivial offences are no longer trivial. We will be addressing trivial offences, such as helmet offences, lighting offences, disobeying a stop sign and overtaking in a dangerous manner.”

And chairman of the the Road Safety Council Dr. Joseph Froncioni, who has joined the campaign, said he was surprised there were not more deaths on the roads.

“The Road Safety Council is very concerned about what we see as a trend on the roads, resulting in unnecessary tragedy,” he said.

“These recent road deaths, and I would like to include the very large number of serious injuries that we have seen, weigh very heavily on the community in terms of health care dollars, pain and suffering and on the families.

“We want to emphasise that there are rules of the road and the rules of the road need to be followed in a sensible manner. We are seeing behaviour which is way beyond the realms of common sense.”

P.c. Fiona Miller said there were a number of initiatives to be undertaken by Police in the crackdown, but one of them was directly related to drink driving, which has played a major part in many of the road accidents on the Island.

She said the traffic team was going to monitor licensed premises at their busiest times and take note of the licence numbers of vehicles parked outside.

Road blocks would be set up and those licence plates targeted in an effort to catch people over the limit.

And she said there was also an increase in the number of people riding with helmets unfastened, which had led to an increase in the number of head injuries, and they too would be targeted.

She said: “It's very simple, you put on your helmet and fasten the strap and it could save your life.”

The Royal Gazette reported yesterday how Minister of Transport Dr. Ewart Brown no longer wanted aspects of dangerous driving to be considered a part of the Bermudian culture.

And he said bikes driving down the middle of two lanes, with not a foot of space between them, was part of that culture that had to be stopped.

Dr. Brown said the sad events of the last week had made everyone want to take action against road madness, including the Government.

“I want to re-enforce earlier statements that we cannot allow ridiculous driving and riding patterns on the road to become a normal part of Bermudian culture,” said Dr. Brown.