Roadside breath tests are set to become a reality before the end of the year, Premier Michael Dunkley said yesterday.

Mr Dunkley, who is also the Minister for National Security, signalled that legislation to allow police to breath test drivers and riders would come before Parliament before the end of the year in a bid to cut down on Bermuda’s horrific toll of death and injury on the roads.

“There are a number of different options we’re discussing, so by the end of the year, we will bring that forward,” he said.

The news means that — if passed, as is likely — Bermuda’s police officers will at last have hand-held breathalysers as part of their arsenal.

But Mr Dunkley said a sea change in attitudes was also needed if serious road crashes are to be reduced, as well as a cut in speeding.

“There has been three times as many people killed in recent years on the roads as have been murdered by gun violence. It’s totally unacceptable,” he said.

Mr Dunkley added that technology meant that cars had improved in terms of braking capability, while seat belts were now mandatory and bike helmet design meant using a bike was safer.

He appealed for road users to think before drinking and driving or speeding — and potentially seriously injuring or killing themselves or others.

“All of us as Bermudians and people who live in Bermuda, we need to take personal responsibility for our actions,” Mr Dunkley said.

“I have no problem with people going out at night — they can do what they want to do, but at the end of that, if they’re not safe to drive a vehicle, call a taxi or get in a vehicle with someone who hasn’t been drinking.

“If you see some of the scenes of the accidents and the damage to cars, you know people weren’t driving at 30 miles an hour. I would appeal for people to be personally responsible for what they do.

“We all have responsibilities in life — while it’s good to carry on and have a good time, people don’t have to get drunk to have a good time.”

Mr Dunkley was speaking almost three months into his Premiership.

He added he had been pleased to see the latest crime figures, which showed overall crime in the second quarter of the year had dropped to its lowest levels in 15 years.

The second quarter saw one murder — Erin Richardson, who was gunned down as he sat outside his Southampton home in April.

A total of 750 crimes were reported on the Island between April and June, the lowest quarterly figure since 2000.

Crimes against persons dropped a massive 35 percent on the same period last year, down from 167 in 2013 to 108 this year.

Reported incidents of crimes against property dipped from 527 last year to 517 this year, while crimes against the community fell from 140 in the second quarter of 2013 to 125 in the same period this year.

“I’m pleased that we’re seeing the statistics going in the right direction,” Mr Dunkley said. “We have much more work to do, but we have taken the sting out of gangs and guns and we will continue to do that.”

Mr Dunkley said Government had gone beyond “just crime prevention and enforcement” and programmes like the gang intervention Operation Ceasefire had contributed to a drop in serious crime.

The Premier praised former PLP National Security Minister Wayne Perinchief for his work in bringing the proven US-pioneered scheme to Bermuda.

“That type of operation has had success in getting us where we want to go,” he said.

And Mr Dunkley predicted that National Security would come in under-budget at the end of the financial year — largely due to more efficient use of resources.

“One of the things I realised clearly is that Government drives the budget. If they don’t have the budget to get the job done, two things will happen — they won’t be able to get the job done and if they can’t, they will have to come back and spend money that wasn’t in the budget,” he said

Mr Dunkley also addressed claims by PLP Public Safety spokesman Walter Roban that the crime figures showed a steady decline over four years — not just over the 18 months the OBA has been in power.

“We all need to work on this together — in fact in some of my comments I have given credit to the former Government for what they have done,” he said.