Premier and Transport Minister Ewart Brown has called a meeting with Government officials to resolve problems with the merit point system for traffic offences.

The initiative was launched last October to crack down on bad driving. Motorists receive points on their licence each time they are caught violating traffic laws and once they reach 12 points their licence is suspended.

However, Dr. Brown admitted yesterday that the court system is failing to keep track of the points as they are accumulated.

The concern was raised in the House of Assembly by Shadow Minister for Transport, Shawn Crockwell, in a speech stressing the importance of enforcing the laws of the road in the light of worrying road accident statistics so far this year.

"It's been brought to our attention that at present there is a points system, a demerit system, where when you go to Magistrates' Court or Traffic Court and you have offended one of the road traffic offences you are given certain points, and once you accumulate 12 points you automatically lose your licence," said Mr. Crockwell.

"I believe it's an automatic six months and due to the Magistrates' discretion, it can go higher. Our information is that at present there is no mechanism in place right now for the court system to be able to manage and keep up with the points that offenders are receiving. So if I go to court tomorrow and I have a traffic offence, the Magistrate has no idea how many points I have accumulated to this day.

"We have a points system in place, but it is not being enforced. So what is the point? Mind the pun, but why are we having these laws in place if we're not going to enforce them?"

Mr. Crockwell went on to question why Bermuda does not have speed cameras, six years after legislation to implement them was passed.

"If the Government is truly committed to curtailing the problems that we have on our roads, why is it taking so long to have the speed cameras up and running?" he asked, adding that more Police officers on the streets would also help moderate the behaviour of road users.

In reply, Dr. Brown said increased visibility is something that the Government intends to achieve.

"With regards the demerit points system, the honourable member raises the point that has caused me to call all of the associated sectors of Government responsible for having that points system in place in to meet with me early next week because I too am not satisfied with the state of preparedness that the Government is in with respect to this particular issue," he said.

"We don't have a problem acknowledging it, but it will be fixed in the very near future."

On the topic of speed cameras, he said the Police Commissioner was not inclined six years ago, when the legislation was passed, to move ahead with the acquisition of speed cameras.

While the current Minister for Home Affairs backs the idea, Dr. Brown said the "unacceptable" situation may have arisen that technology has moved on so much in six years "that we're almost back to square one."

Nonetheless, Dr. Brown pledged to work with the Governor and the Police "to get this done in the very near future."

The news came during a debate on the Traffic Offences (Penalties) Amendment Act 2008. Dr. Brown explained that the new legislation is necessary to address inconsistency in relation to penalties for drink-driving related offences.

It brings the offence of failing to comply with a request for a breath, blood or urine sample and of failure to submit to a drug test under the umbrella of the Traffic Offences (Penalties) Act instead of the Road Traffic Act.

The amendments, he said, "are mere technicalities," but necessary "for the sake of consistency with the provisions dealing with fines and demerit points."

The legislation was given the green light by the House of Assembly and will now go to the Senate for further debate.