Road accidents can damage the island’s pedestrian crossing signals, the chairman of the Bermuda Road Safety Council said.

Dennis Lister III acknowledged that some crossing lights across the island are not working but believes that road crashes have caused some of this damage.

He said: “While we would like to have working lights with blinkers, we understand that some of them are not in place due to accidents or different reasons.

“While this is a hindrance, especially in locations where it is not properly lit for people crossing the roads, we understand the challenges the Ministry of Public Works has with keeping them maintained and safe from any damage that may occur to them.”

Emphasising road safety, Mr Lister said: “Accidents have unintended consequences, such as the damage to some of the light beacons that are out there, which then put government and the general public in a deficit, because if there was a working light, it is now out of order and will have to be replaced.

“The beacons are there to indicate when people can cross the road and when they are damaged, it has an impact on pedestrians.”

The comments come after two teenagers were hurt in a collision involving a cycle and pedestrian recently.

It occurred at a crossing near Radnor Road in Hamilton Parish. The Ministry of Public Works confirmed that the signal at the crossing, as well as others across the island, were not working properly.

It added: “Replacement units have been procured and are scheduled to arrive shortly. Upon receipt, repairs will commence.”

The signals in place on the island began to replace older ones about five years ago.