Shadow Transport Minister Lawrence Scott has appealed to the Premier to hold an emergency sitting of Parliament to push through tougher road safety laws.

The Progressive Labour Party MP warned politicians that “we can’t sit back and do nothing while lives are being lost” and said legislation that would allow tools such as roadside sobriety checkpoints and breathalysers were a “priority for me”.

“I’d urge the Premier, in the interests of national safety, to call an emergency sitting of the House of Assembly in order for the Opposition or the Government to bring forward legislation to help the police and help keep people safe and alive on our streets,” Mr Scott said.

He spoke out after a string of serious accidents at the weekend, including the tragic death of a father of three who was hit by a car while he and his family were camping at Kindley Field Road.

Melvyn Smith, 51, from Warwick, was the ninth person killed in a road accident so far this year — the same number of deaths as all of last year. Since 2008, 80 people have been killed on Bermuda’s roads.

Inspector Robert Cardwell, of the Roads Policing Unit, told The Royal Gazette this week that there were 24 collisions over the four-day holiday.

On Wednesday, Mr Scott said he would discuss his legislation proposals with fellow PLP members before bringing them to Parliament.

“I have a couple of pieces of legislation I’m taking to my caucus prior to Parliament’s return from the summer recess — they need to be approved by my caucus,” he said. “I’ve been working with CADA and the police, talking with them to learn what they feel would best help them out, what tools I can give them to do a better job.

“Roadside sobriety checkpoints is a big and important piece of legislation. I’m a big supporter of these checkpoints and roadside breathalysers, as long as the police have probable cause — we could take a template from the US.”

In the US, officers need to have reasonable suspicion of impaired driving, such as a report from a member of the public, a traffic accident, or erratic driving. They can also test people stopped at sobriety checkpoints, where every fifth or tenth driver is pulled over, for example.

Mr Scott said the PLP had planned to move on this during the last parliamentary session but “the Transport Minister said he was going to bring the legislation but it never came”.

Transport and Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell told the House of Assembly in March last year that his ministry intended to seek approval from the Cabinet to lower the blood-alcohol limit, introduce roadside breath tests and install speed cameras.

“I’m not trying to play politics,” Mr Scott said. “Lives are at stake, politics goes out the window.

“This is something the Government has the opportunity to do. If they won’t do it, we will.

“We’re willing to do something for our Island. This is a priority at the start of the November session.”

Yesterday, Minister Crockwell said the Government was “extremely concerned” about the number of road smashes over the past week and “with the apparent correlation these collisions have with impaired driving”.

“Everyone agrees that there is an urgent need for action,” he added. “Personally, I find it very alarming that an Island this small can experience 24 road collisions over a four-day holiday.

“I would like to assure the public that we are exploring all options to address this major issue of impaired driving as well as the other road safety issues — speeding, driving dangerously without care, caution or consideration for others, and disregard for the rules of the road.

“The Ministry of Tourism Development and Transport recently completed exhaustive research on random sobriety testing and the latest technology for roadside testing. In the very near future the Cabinet will be discussing the options emanating from this research with a view to amending the relevant legislation in the fall.”

Mr Crockwell said he intended to introduce “aggressive initiatives to combat drink-driving”.

“We recognise that we must address the real challenge of this entrenched culture of drinking and driving,” he added.

“There are many factors involved in road safety and no one measure or entity will improve this situation. Road safety must be a collaborative effort and we have to all work together towards the common goal of improving it. Government cannot do it alone. This has to be a unified community effort. Ultimately, each of us should be mindful of our own driving behaviour.

“This past few weeks highlights our collective need to use every option available to reduce these tragedies on our roads.

“I will continue to make every effort to bring about initiatives that will reduce the incidents of road fatalities as well as those serious injuries that result from collisions.

“I want to extend my deepest and sincerest condolence to the family of Melvin Smith and I wish all those who were injured in recent road collisions a full recovery.”

CADA, a charity that promotes responsible alcohol behaviour, said it had been calling for tougher legislation for years.

Chairman Anthony Santucci warned that action needed to be taken by Government immediately because “we’re losing people hand over fist”.

“I’m tired of hearing platitudes, condolences, sympathy, after accidents,” he said. “How many people have to die? At what point are we going to say enough is enough? “We can fix this, we really can. We need an overhaul of liquor licensing legislation and an agency to manage alcohol. We can’t continue to do piecemeal legislation.”

Mr Santucci said CADA advocated the creation of an “alcohol bureau of control, an overarching management agency to set policies and standards”.

Such an authority, he said, would oversee the sales and promotion of alcohol in all licensed premises, conduct spot checks at bars, launch education campaigns, and handle liquor licensing.

“When a liquor licence is issued, rules need to be attached to it, an agency would ensure these are enforced,” Mr Santucci said.

He believes the cost of such an agency could be covered by a small sales tax on alcohol, for example five percent.

“It’s an easy way to generate revenue and ensure a healthy community,” Mr Santucci said.

“We’re willing and able to work with Government. We would like to do more. We’re a charity, we don’t have the resources to do everything we want to do.

“Stop with the excuses and if you don’t say anything, you’re complicit. Our goal is a healthier community.”