We must stop kidding ourselves about why our roads have become daredevil playgrounds for too many irresponsible motorists, who daily could not care less about rules, safety, and proper ethics.

Every day we see it, either driving to or from work. There is a type of overcrowding madness especially during peak traffic times, when for some reason everyone wants to be in front.

A traffic light stop often has cyclists so close it seems they are trying to get into the glove compartment.

Not every mishap involves tragedy, but daily there are many accidents that would not have occurred, had there been more concern for safety and concentration beforehand.

It would appear that the real problem runs deeper than people failing to obey the basic safety rules of the road.

In the wake of a terrible year of road deaths, the emotional finger pointing game kicks in with cries of what the Government or Police should be doing to make things better.

What we have failed to come to grips with is that like it or not, the state of mind of many of those getting into cars or mounting cycles has drastically changed over the years, along with attitudes.

Unlike the old Bermuda, with an abundance of manners and courtesy, today there is a harsher colder society with an almost every man for himself or herself approach to challenges of the day.

In other words there is a recklessness in basic social behaviour which has gotten worse, leading to more anti social conduct even on our roads. Some of this may be a result of the collapse of the standards which was once the nerve centre for grooming attitudes and values.

Obviously not every accident is a result of this, but many of our young people today have never experienced the true meaning of discipline, and why there are rules of life that must never be ignored.

We should avoid sugar coating hard facts when it comes to the awful road tragedies that seem almost predictable.

Any loss of life through traffic accidents has a deep impact on many families and indeed our entire island community. Calls for speed cameras or Police at every stop sign seems to be a passing the buck approach to tackle the problem.

Even before this column hits the press, there will be accidents and close calls on our roads mostly through inattention. Too often motorists send text messages while driving and riding in heavy traffic.

I observed a driver recently so busy with the cell phone, blackberry or what ever, that the driver was unaware that traffic in front had moved off as they held up traffic behind.

This happens daily and is considered to be a part of everyday traffic life. What we really have is not so much a traffic problem, but a very serious attitude problem that spills over onto our roads.

Whether or not it will take new laws with no loop holes to shock the community into complying with current laws is up for question.

Perhaps it is time to fully examine all of the factors contributing to our high accident rate, to determine what steps could be taken to reduce risk.

One thing seems certain, if we continue to always blame someone else for the traffic mess we find ourselves in, we could be running around in circles instead of homing in on the crucial problem which is excessive speed and recklessness.

We will never eradicate traffic accidents but that is no reason to sit back, throw our hands in the air and say nothing will change.

Not much is likely to change quickly because attitudes are not easily altered in any society. Legislators need to urgently review many areas governing traffic including impaired driving which should carry such a penalty that no right thinking person would risk being caught.

We can talk until the proverbial cows come home, but without something solid to change the mindset of road users, we could be in for more of what we experienced last year.

That we do not need. Hopefully we will have the courage to confront the true causes and collectively attempt to create a safer society. This can only be achieved through an honest frank look at where we stand at the moment.

Slogans and repeated calls for the public to exercise caution appear to be falling on deaf ears. Yes, there are motorists using our roads with care, but even they are at risk as long as there are too many who could care less.

A major drive in educating the next generation might be the only way to change this dangerous trend.