Road Safety Council chairman Dr. Joseph Froncioni, in an opinion on this page, has listed some of the major reasons for Bermuda's continuing toll of deaths and serious injuries on the roads.

He correctly states, as did Clarence Tucker, the grandfather of Troylisha Outerbridge, that the word accident is a misnomer. Almost all accidents have a cause. These can include mechanical problems, weather conditions, driver inattention (which is often caused by alcohol or drugs).

It is too early to say what caused the death of Miss Outerbridge and injuries to four other people in the car she was travelling in.

It is worth asking why so many people were travelling in the car in the early hours of Thursday morning and at what speeds they were travelling at.

But as a general observation, Dr. Froncioni is right to state that drugs and/or alcohol are responsible for too many accidents on Bermuda's overcrowded roads.

And he is also correct that the punishments that impaired drivers receive are too low.

While the level at which impaired driving is judged as occurring (80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood) likely to occur is comparable to most other countries, Dr. Froncioni is right that the punishment is too low.

Compared to other places, the one-year ban and $1,000 fine for impaired driving is a slap on the wrist, he says.

Certainly, it is not a deterrent. Last week a number of drivers came up in court for impaired driving. The drivers were two, three or even four times over the limit. But in each case they received the same fine and ban.

Only in the case of a driver who was on his tenth offence was firmer action taken. In that case, the driver was jailed for six months. It should have been longer.

Why did it take ten offences for the courts to take severe action? True deterrents could include longer licence suspensions and the seizure of vehicles for the period of the suspension, thus removing the risk of people driving while they have been disqualified.

No one should forget that an impaired driver behind the wheel of a car is an armed and dangerous killer whose victim may be around the next corner.

At the same time, impaired drivers can also be rehabilitated and compulsory driving and alcohol or drugs education should be a part of any sentence as well.

What is clear is that public announcements and periodic Police crackdowns on bad driving are not slowing down drivers, or reducing the rate of accidents, even if the Island has been remarkably lucky in having avoided more deaths in the last few years.

But the fact that the Tucker family has lost not one, but two of its members, to the Island's roads should serve as a wake-up call and all drivers should take care not to put their families in the same state of mourning.