May 17, 2005

Dear Sir,

In a recent OECD review on road deaths in Europe, Portugal ranked the most dangerous country in which to drive with 165 deaths per year for every million of population. Ireland had 96 deaths while Britain, the safest, had 60. Bermuda, with eight deaths in five months, is equivalent to 304 deaths a year for every million and thus twice as dangerous a place to drive as the most dangerous place in Europe!

There is something wrong with the enforcement of traffic laws when you have about a 70 percent chance of getting a ticket for parking too long compared to probably a two percent chance of being caught for speeding, going through red lights, driving on the wrong side of the road, etc.

No one should be surprised by the number of deaths so far this year as one encounters every day “accidents waiting to happen, dead men riding, tomorrow's statistics”. It is time the Police and the Courts took back the roads on behalf of the people of Bermuda.

JOHN R. KANE

Devonshire

More care needed

May 18, 2005

Dear Sir,

I wish to voice my concerns over safety on our roads. The bikes speeding, weaving in and out of traffic and riding on the inside not to mention talking on cell phones is a major problem. I am afraid at crosswalks as bikes fly through on red lights and I fear for my grandchildren's lives when they take the ferry and walk to school.

Another big problem are the heavy trucks on the road. I can't believe the speed they drive at, often well over the yellow line and nearly all talking on cellular phones. Last week a large truck carrying rubble pulled out of a driveway on Harrington Sound Road without stopping right in front of us. He could clearly see us coming but he did not even hesitate. If we had been on a bike we would have had no chance, no matter what speed we were doing. I recorded his number to report it to the Police but decided that was a waste of time. The public needs to record licence numbers and report them to the company. The large trucks carrying gravel from the docks in St. George's are also a menace. They drive around Mullet Bay at unbelievable speeds with never a Police car in sight. Surely the Police must be aware of the speed they do.

We need to ban all cell phones while driving. How can young mothers, driving car loads of children fighting and squabbling all the while talking on a cell phone, concentrate on their driving? How can men driving heavy trucks along narrow roads give full attention to their driving? The calls can't be all that important. Today's picture in The Royal Gazette was disturbing but it needed to be shown. I feel so sorry for all the families who have lost their children. We all need to take more care. The Police need to watch for all these speeding truck drivers and people going through red lights. Let us see if we can get through the rest of this year with no more fatalities.

SAFETY ON OUR ROADS

St. George's

Making our roads safer

May 25, 2005

Dear Sir,

With more than a thousand accidents on our roads so far in 2005 and eight fatal accidents, it is time to go from lamenting to action. Sure, the pictures in the paper don't leave us cold, no way, but do they make us hot? Or do we stay lukewarm like the Christians in Laodicea in Revelations 2:15 and 16: “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (NRSV)

There are some easy steps we all can take to make our roads safer until lawmakers and law enforcement do their job.

Show that you really care by following these “10 Commandments” of road safety:

1. Be the first to obey the traffic code including the speed limit at all times (plus 5 kph tolerance due to traffic situation = 40 kph may be granted) (See Romans 13).

2. All bikers should drive with low beam head lights on at all times (this reduced the bike accidents in Europe by about 50 percent).

3. Stay well behind the vehicle in front of you. When we travel with 40 kph we actually cover 11 metres every second, so keep at least 20 metres distance. This will give you time to react as well as reduces the drive to overtake. Often people overtake just to go with the same speed in front of the other vehicle.

4. Go the extra mile: make space for others, especially when traffic comes to a stop. Leave space in the centre of the road, yes for bikes, but also in case emergency vehicles have to go through.

5. Bikers should only overtake or pass standing traffic when and where it is safe. Don't force upcoming traffic to react to your poor driving skills.

6. Remember that people need to have a chance to get into the main road from side roads or driveways. Reduce your speed, let them out.

7. Don't overtake on pedestrian cross walks.

8. Don't cut corners when turning right.

9. Fasten seat belts or helmets every time you ride.

10. Drugs and alcohol don't go with driving. Find a designated driver, a bus, or a taxi.

Be a role model for less experienced drivers, especially the professional drivers among us in trucks, busses or taxis.

Traffic is not the place to achieve personal freedom by making your individual rules, but has to be played by the rules by everybody. If it isn't, we need the yellow card (speeding tickets) or even the red card (off the road again).

No question, accidents will always happen, but lately it's too much. Every accident, whether with or without injuries will add to your insurance bill! Premiums will go skyrocketing because of damage claims. The few seconds you might lose because of safe driving skills, might win you or somebody else a whole lifetime.

Finally a word to the parents: If your child is driving irresponsible like with open helmet, speeding etc., take away the bike for a month before you might lose your child! Better tough now than sad later!

CHRISTIAN DRIVER

Pembroke

'Perfect family spot'

May 16, 2005

This was sent to Lloyd Telford, general manager of the West End Development Corporation, and copied to The Royal Gazette.

Dear Mr. Telford,

I am writing this e-mail to describe to you the day my family and I experienced yesterday. Having accomplished the mammoth task of pulling my husband away from his gardening, I announced that we were going to have a family outing and he would decide where. After loading up the car with one small boy and a ridiculously large number of items for the small boy's comfort, off we set.

Unbeknownst to my husband, while I claimed no preference as to our final destination, I did in fact have every intention of remaining safely within the central parishes. As we passed various, what I felt would have been perfectly suitable destinations, I began to grow tense. Once we crossed the Paget, Warwick border, alarm began to mount, after sailing across the entrance to Horseshoe Bay, I sank into what I was sure to be an irreversible sour funk. By the time we hit Somerset, I was a snarling waspish shrew!

We enter the grounds of “Wedco” and our first sighting is of the Amistad, my interest perked a little, partly because of my husband's obvious glee and my son's excited cries as he spied several similarly small people frolicking about on the grass. We make our way over to the Amistad display which was very impressive and my husband whisks my son off for the shortest tour in history (at $15 it was a bit much). Leaving the Amistad we then strolled through the Clock Tower and were pleasantly surprised to see quite a variety of shops, no longer does it appear to be a replica of Front Street! We then had a very agreeable, quick and most importantly, affordable lunch at Beethoven's. As I sat there gazing over the grounds that were looking exceptionally lovely, I suddenly realised I was no longer irritated. As we leisurely strolled along in the general direction of the snorkel park, it struck me what a lovely place Wedco was - clean, family friendly, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable! All this was before we hit the snorkel park. Who ever is behind the upgrading of this facility should be commended, it is the absolute perfect family spot! By the time we headed back to our car, having concluded our afternoon with remarkably overpriced ice-cream cones from the Haagen-Daz store (which we happily paid for), I felt as relaxed and rejuvenated as if I had been on an extended holiday. Was it the rarefied West End air, the variety of amenities, the perfect weather conditions or, a combination of all three? I am not quite sure but I do know I shall be recommending that everyone rediscover Wedco as quickly as they can! Thanks for a great afternoon!

KELLY FRANCIS

Smith's Parish

Good role models

May 18, 2005

Dear Sir,

In a recent newspaper article I stated when referring to a new motorbike trend: “or slow ride our ‘classic bikes' hoping to be noticed.” I wish to apologise to any member who felt that this was a cold criticism of them.

I am a proud member of the Bermuda Classic Bike Club and although not a bike owner, have had and continue to have, excellent relations with them. “Classic Bike” riders have had numerous community fundraising events to benefit the community and they demonstrate everyday that they abide by the rules of the road by obeying our 20 mph speed limit. For this and so many other things they do they should be congratulated and not singled out as I did in the article. The slowness of their ride, therefore, has nothing to do with their wishing to be noticed. Having cleared that up, I can only say that I wish them well. We obviously have a lot to learn from their example of friendship and keen interest in a hobby and their intentions to be good role models to our young people.

DALE BUTLER JP, MP

Minister of Community Affairs and Sport

Vicious cycle

May 20, 2005

Dear Sir,

I was browsing through the pictures of the baby contest and came across the article by Eddie Fisher. I am in complete agreement with him when he says that children need both parents, however, he remarked on what he considered the single most destructive practice in Bermuda. I beg to bring to his attention that an out of marriage birth rate averaging 33 percent is probably one of Bermuda's most destructive practices! Young men and older men who do not practice birth control and safe sex during their promiscuous activities are risking the arrival of yet another beautiful child whose mother will struggle for 20 years to support it financially and to raise it in a stable and reassuring environment. Divorce is a tragedy which happens to too many families and the fathers concerned have my sympathy if they feel unfairly treated in the aftermath, but unmarried fathers, the majority of whom it seems are not making any effort to support the children they so thoughtlessly created, are another situation entirely. Family planning is an old fashioned term that used to start out with marriage. I earnestly believe that it is less the breakdown of existing families but the creation of one parent households that has caused so many of the problems we see among our angry and disappointed teenagers. It is a vicious cycle, as it appears that the boys and girls from these fatherless homes find solace or distraction from their unhappiness in promiscuous and unprotected sex. So the beat goes on.

DISILLUSIONED GRANDMA

Pembroke