priority placed on road safety and cautioning of offenders.

Bermuda has more than 65,000 bikes and vehicles on just 125 miles of roads and according to Mr. Coxall there is a long-term need for the service to contribute to a national road strategy.

It would cover road safety, driver training, road engineering, traffic calming measures, including more roundabouts, and the use of new technology to detect speeding motorists.

In the short-term, however, he says there will be less focus on ticketing and prosecution and greater emphasis on a more extensive use of formal cautioning and advice.

He said the weaknesses of the present system were "manifest'' -low public satisfaction, a six percent increase in accidents, increasing fatal accidents and an apparent disregard for speed and driving regulations.

"To continue with the present policies is likely to result in the alienation of sections of the public, greater levels of violation and increased deaths and injury on the roads,'' says Mr. Coxall.

He adds: "This should not be construed as a lack of determination by the service to ensure that the unacceptably high levels of accidents on the roads is addressed.''