Potentially life-saving advice about road safety has been issued by the Bermuda Police Service after the deaths of two people in road accidents in the past week.

Inspector Robert Cardwell, the officer responsible for roads policing and the marine units, issued a general statement stressing the dangers of driving at excessive speeds, under the influence of alcohol and of failing to secure helmets.

He told The Royal Gazette : “Bermuda has suffered two road traffic fatalities this year.

“We have also continued to see victims in traffic collisions who suffer very serious injuries that are life-changing and certainly require a long period of rehabilitation.

“Road traffic fatality collision investigations reveal that alcohol or speed, sometimes both, are contributing factors in collisions.

“Making the wrong decision can have fatal or very serious injury consequences. When someone has consumed alcohol they might not be best positioned to make the right decision.

“Our message is that road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Therefore, we all need to look after each other.

“We might need to make a decision on behalf of someone who is not best positioned to make the right decision, and prevent a friend from riding or driving under the influence of alcohol.”

Randy Santelices, a 34-year-old chef from the Philippines, died after losing control of his motorcycle and hitting the Birdcage on Front Street in the early hours of Thursday.

In another accident yesterday afternoon, a 21-year-old motorcyclist died after colliding with a truck at the junction of Harvey Road and Ord Road in Paget.

Mr Cardwell did not discuss specific cases but offered general advice for all road users, such as highlighting the importance of securing helmets.

“We are finding in collision investigations that trauma to the head and the brain as a result of a collision could have been minimised or avoided had the victim been wearing a helmet that was securely fastened and was an appropriate fit,” he said.

“The wearing of a helmet in the manner in which it is designed can save lives.

“We can see this to be the case since road fatalities suddenly reduced at the same time helmets were introduced as mandatory by law in 1976.

“More frequently, collisions are captured on CCTV.

“This assists the lead collision investigator in understanding and reconstructing the collision quickly and opining on the causes quite accurately.

“These CCTV recordings are never easy to watch as we know the result. There are lessons to be learnt in all collisions.

“The Bermuda Police Service is making every effort to step up road safety messaging and get what we have learnt into the public arena as quickly as possible. We are also working with other stakeholders in this regard.”

On Friday in the House of Assembly, Lawrence Scott, the Shadow Minister of Transport, criticised the Bermuda Government for allocating just $148,000 to road safety, and described the issue as a national health crisis.

Last year, the One Bermuda Alliance announced the creation of a road safety working group to address road conditions.