Owen Darrell, the transport minister, has said that action must be taken not only to address road deaths, but address concerns raised by those who have lost loved ones

Speaking in the House of Assembly on Friday, Mr Darrell said that he had spoken with the family of Laquan Thomas, who died as a result of a road traffic collision in May.

Mr Darrell said: “Laquan was a son, a brother, a fiancee, a friend and a valued member of our community. He was a young man with ambitions, relationships and a future ahead of him.

“For his family, his death has left a void that can never be filled, and that grief has been compounded by their concerns, quite frankly, about the circumstances of his death, the investigation that followed and the eventual outcome.”

Evan Weiner, an American visitor, was initially charged with causing Mr Thomas’s death by driving while impaired by alcohol, but later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving.

He was subsequently sentenced to eight months behind bars in the Supreme Court, but the sentence was suspended for two years with the judge noting that Weiner had already spent more than two months in custody.

Mr Darrell said the Thomas family had raised concerns about the handling of the case, including the decision to change the charge pursued, the sentence handed down and the communications that the family did and did not receive during the process.

He said: “I'm not going to stand here and judge the conduct of the police, the decisions of the prosecution or the judgment of the court. Those institutions have very important roles to play and very important responsibilities and their independence must be and will be respected.

“But I will say this: A family that has lost a loved one should not have to fight to understand what happened. A family who has lost a loved one should not have to question why decisions were made and how the system that is there to serve them reached its conclusions.

“They deserve clear information.”

Mr Darrell added that while every case has its own facts and legal considerations, House of Assembly could consider the legislation and if it is fit for purpose.

He said: “We can ensure that the questions that they are raising receive the appropriate consideration from the appropriate locations, and we can use the responsibility and trust put in us, both sides of this House, to strengthen the systems intended to protect the lives of Bermudians.

“We owe it to families to give them more than sympathy. We owe it to them a road safety system that is effective. We owe it to them a road safety system that is accountable and committed to preventing other families experiencing the same loss.”

He noted amendments brought forward by the Opposition to increase penalties, and said he welcomed the attention given to road safety in the House, but said legislative changes alone could not deliver the scale of change that the island needs.

Mr Darrell said: “As the experience of Laquan Thomas's family reminds us, we must also consider what happens after. serious or fatal collision.

“How are these investigations conducted? How are the families informed and supported? How do we ensure lessons are learnt?”

Jarion Richardson, the shadow minister, expressed his support for Mr Darrell’s comments, stating that there was an opportunity for bipartisan work to improve road safety.