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Police name road victim; concern expressed over helmets

(Photo by Akil Simmons)Tourists riding rental cycles in Hamilton. Concern has been expressed over the safety of some helmets used by riders following the death of a UK visitor riding a bike on Wednesday.

Police have released the identity of Bermuda’s second road traffic fatality victim who died as a result of injuries on Wednesday. He is Joseph Footitt, 37, a visitor from London, UK.Mr Footitt was pronounced dead at King Edward VII Memorial after the rental cycle he was riding collided with a car around 3.35pm on Harbour Road in Paget near the junction with Manse Road.He is survived by his 36-year-old wife who was a pillion passenger on the cycle when the accident occurred. According to a police spokesman she was treated and later released from the hospital.The spokesman said: “The Bermuda Police Service extends condolences to Mr Footitt’s wife, family and friends as the investigation into this fatal collision continues.” Witnesses are urged to contact PC James Eli at the Roads Policing Unit on 295-0011.Mr Footitt is the second visitor to die as a result of an accident on Bermuda’s roads while riding a rented livery cycle this year.American Michael Lancelotta, 48, lost his life following an accident on Wellington Street in St George’s near Tiger Bay on February 5. He too was riding a rental cycle that collided with a water truck and subsequently died as a result of his injuries.Meanwhile former Road Safety Council Chairman Dr Joseph Froncioni has called for Bermuda’s Helment Standards Law to be enforced. While he would not comment specifically on the latest fatality, he questioned the lack of enforcement of laws already on the books by police, the Transport Control Department and Customs.When contacted by The Royal Gazette, he said: “The fact of the matter is you can wear any type of helmet, in any condition and its very unlikely that you will be stopped. And you could probably import any helmet you want and no one will stop you because the law is not enforced.“When I drive around Bermuda I see people with helmets that don’t comply with the safety standards everyday. Its very disconcerting to know that we have a law on the books but the law is not doing its job to protect citizens from head injuries which is very disturbing,” he said.“Tourists on motorbikes has always been a very dangerous situation, to put an inexperienced person on a motorbike even more so in Bermuda when most visitors haven’t driven on the left side of the road,” he said.And he questioned the brief training sessions given to tourists at rental liveries. “ There is no amount of training as a tourist on the spot that will change their risk of crashing. A proper course takes 40 hours to have a minimum effect.“There is nothing we can do to decrease the risk of tourists injured if they continue to rent cycles in Bermuda. It takes years to get experience on Bermuda’s roads, not 20 minutes,” said Dr Froncioni.The short tutorials on how to ride a livery cycle “do nothing to decrease the crash risk of tourists”, he said. “If we go through the trouble of researching, then formulating laws, those laws should be used, especially if they deal with important issues like road safety and saving lives.”A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said: “All helmets (retail or rental) should meet the standards provided in the legislation. There is no difference between the two.” It was also noted that the standards are listed in the Auxiliary Bicycles Act 1954, Section 10 A (4).Newly appointed Transport Minister Walter Roban meanwhile, extended condolences to the family of the deceased. “Subject to the findings of the Bermuda Police Service investigation, the Ministry remains committed to putting in place any solutions required to improve road safety for all users,” he said.