Police have urged the public to hold each other accountable in the face of continued impaired driving on Bermuda’s roads.

A Bermuda Police Service spokesman said that eight people appeared in Magistrates’ Court charged with impaired driving offences on Thursday alone.

Of those, five pleaded guilty and received $1,500 fines and 18-month driving bans.

The spokesman said that despite extensive public awareness campaigns and roadside sobriety checkpoints, 128 people had been arrested for impaired driving in 2026 as of yesterday.

Meanwhile, 223 arrests were made over the entirety of 2025 and 203 in 2024.

The spokesman said the figures showed that many are ignoring repeated warnings not to drink and drive.

He highlighted: “The decision to drink and drive is a choice.

“With that in mind, we are appealing, yet again, for members of the public to take absolute personal responsibility for their actions.

“If you plan to consume alcohol, or use any other mind-altering substance, you must avoid operating any vehicle, including e-bicycles, pedal cycles and of course, boats, for that matter.

“It is evident that personal accountability alone is not enough.

“As such, we must foster a culture where drunk driving is socially unacceptable.

“We strongly encourage our community to hold each other to account.”

The spokesman urged the public to step in before a friend, family member or colleague attempts to drive while impaired or call police on 295-0011 or 211 to report them attempting to operate a vehicle.

He added: “The Bermuda Police Service will continue its work to make our roads safer, not only using sobriety checkpoints but also with ongoing stop-and-check and high visibility initiatives.

“However, we cannot be everywhere at once. We need your help to alert us to impaired persons seeking to drive or ride a vehicle.

“This is not snitching, this is saving lives and preventing serious injuries to our friends, our families, our neighbours, our visitors and the motoring public in general.

“Let’s all help make Bermuda safer.”