Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown has asked Police to crackdown on unsafe road practices that are often taken for granted as "Bermudian culture".

He said the eighth road fatality yesterday had prompted his Ministry to contact Police and ask them to assist in hitting unsafe motorists hard in a bid to prevent further bloodshed on the roads.

Lloyd Mitchell Dellano Burch died in the early hours yesterday after his bike collided with an oncoming vehicle as he tried to overtake in the west end of the Island.

His mother has appealed for young motorists to learn from his example and to take extra care on the roads.

Dr. Brown said: "From the Ministry, we are asking the Police to assist us in cracking down on dangerous riding. We have to start stopping people and not accepting it as part of the culture.

"People riding between two cars with not a foot to spare - that has to stop being a part of Bermudian culture."

And Dr. Brown said he joined Ms Burch in her appeal to young people.

"It's time for us, once again, to stop and take stock of our driving and riding habits," he added.

"It's such a pity that sometimes these lives are lost by people actually giving up their lives and taking unnecessary risks. Of course, the Road Safety Council will be hard at work again this year to intensify our public education programme, but surely the untimely deaths of two young people in a week should send the message to the community that we need to become more aware and more careful.

"Real accidents sometimes are hard to prevent, but sometimes we give accidents a greater likelihood of occurring."

Yesterday Police reiterated their warnings about observing road safety laws, and appealed for information about the road smash yesterday that took the life of Mr. Burch.