I know you’re wondering what icebergs can possibly have to do with, well, anything. You’ll be surprised to find out, however, that although it is extremely unlikely that these isles will ever be graced by the presence of such a magnificent natural phenomena, there is a figurative iceberg in our midst. And just like the real thing, our figurative iceberg is only showing us its tip. Unfortunately, both public opinion and public policy are being formulated based on just the tip of our iceberg and that, in my opinion, is leading us far astray.I hope you will agree with me that the situation on our roads is deplorable. Recent figures show that we have the highest per-capita road fatality rate of all OECD and Pan American Union countries. This state of affairs is both alarming and shameful. Yet, when the public is polled, road safety always is always trumped by issues of crime, drugs and gangs. While it is understandable that people are more fearful of threats that are out of their control and that endanger their person or property, I have a feeling that things might be otherwise if both voters and elected officials could get a glimpse at the whole iceberg.By and large, the tip of the iceberg is made up of the road fatalities. It is primarily the deaths that make the headlines and elicit all the seemingly heartfelt condolences from politicians and community leaders. It is the deaths that force our elected officials to promise action and solutions and, of course, it is the deaths that leave behind so much sadness and grief for families. What if I told you, though, that for every one road death, Bermuda sees over 200 people injured on our roads. The two-year study my co-authors and I carried out nearly ten years ago, showed that while 17 people lost their lives, 3,656 individuals were injured on our roads. There is every indication that things have only gotten worse since then. While a small percentage of the 3,656 injuries were minor and only required first aid treatment, more than 30 percent were severe injuries (Injury Severity Score of four or greater, for my medical colleagues), injuries requiring real and costly medical intervention, injuries that gobble up a very large chunk of our healthcare dollars.The economic burden of these largely preventable injuries, while difficult to estimate, must be enormous. To tally this cost, one would have to take into account the following direct and indirect costs: healthcare expenses including acute care, diagnostic imaging, hospitalisation, surgery, intensive care and air-ambulance transfer; paramedical services including EMT, police and fire; rehabilitation including neuro-rehabilitation, physiotherapy and occupational therapy; custodial care for patients with severe long-term disability such as quadriplegia, paraplegia and brain injury; lost productivity and time off work; material costs including vehicle and infrastructure damage. To make matters worse, most of these severe injuries happen in the under-40 age bracket, members of our community in the prime of their working lives.It’s high time we dip our heads under the surface and acknowledge the submerged part of the iceberg. We must start prioritising our efforts and resources based on a more complete picture of the problems Bermuda faces. Road deaths and injuries must become a priority if we are to make our country a better place to live.* The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect CADA’S position.