Eye in the sky tech could be used to curb speeding
Police could use the island’s network of roadside cameras to catch speeders, Commissioner of Police Stephen Corbishley said this week.
Mr Corbishley, speaking after the death on Sunday of 16-year-old Amber Bridges, added the loss of the 16-year-old had shocked public and parents especially.
He emphasised that he could not comment on the circumstances of a tragic accident still under investigation.
Mr Corbishley said: “We do make progress – there are reductions.
“But loss of life is something that can’t be changed and it’s one that we need to respond to.
“I am hoping to do some press conferences.
“Certainly, Assistant Commissioner Martin Weekes who leads on this is doing much work on it.”
Mr Corbishley added: “Some of the messages are going to be the same. But just because they are repeated does not mean they are still not relevant.”
He said police and hospital records reflected “far greater numbers” of accidents on the island’s roads than had been expected.
He singled out speed as “the main contributor to injuries and fatalities” and highlighted that motorcycles offered “little protection”.
Mr Corbishley added “hotspot” locations on the roads were areas where police could allocate more resources, including “traffic calming” measures such as speed bumps.
He added: “It’s important that we look at those opportunities.
“But also we are looking at a lot of work strategically about our CCTV infrastructure to see if we can start looking at things like speed enforcement.”
The use of technology to rein in speeding was mentioned by Mr Weekes in January after two fatal crashes in a week.
Mr Weekes said at the time: “I think there’s an opportunity for an enterprising Bermudian as far as technology is concerned.”
Mr Corbishley said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that “videos of poor driving” supplied by the public had been of help.
He added: “Often we find the persons responsible and take action.”
Mr Corbishley said the death of Ms Bridges had caused “myself, the Commissioner’s team and other partners to look at the whole issue of road safety”.
He added: “It’s an issue discussed with regularity.
“You are actually much more likely to lose your life in Bermuda on the roads than perhaps through any other act by a third party.”
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