The Bermuda Police Service deserve credit for putting their money where their mouth is and deploying extra officers to crack down on poor driving around the island.

Officers have issued hundreds of tickets in a matter of days for everything from speeding to using mobile phones while driving.

While it has been asserted by national security minister Ryan Robinson Perinchief that penalties alone will not change drivers’ behaviour, drivers will change if they know they will be caught and that punishments will be enforced.

The problem is not that penalties do not work; it is that inconsistent enforcement means that drivers will fall back into their old habits as soon as the crackdown ends.

To that end, the police must continue to maintain a visible presence on the roads. Otherwise, the efforts of the past two weeks or so will have gone to waste.

It is correct, however, that enforcement is not the whole answer. As Royal Gazette columnist Paolo Odoli pointed out, driver re-education can also play a part.

At present, only impaired drivers have the option to take driver-remediation courses. These courses should be made mandatory and should be extended to other driving offences.

The House of Assembly must also act and pass the required regulations to activate speed cameras, which are used successfully in other countries and would make an immediate difference here. Bermuda cannot be another world when it comes to people’s lives.

One area where increased penalties are necessary is for impaired driving. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a factor in too many collisions now.

Bermuda has allowed a culture which tolerates impaired driving for too long. Knowing that you will be fined heavily and will lose your licence for a long period of time will deter drink-drivers.

Thirteen people have died on Bermuda’s roads in eight months. The police have responded to the crisis. Now the rest of the island must as well.