The Bermuda Road Safety Council yesterday appealed to people to avoid the temptation and drive as the festive season approached.

Dennis Lister III, chairman of the BRSC, highlighted an increase in crashes in recent weeks – including several that resulted in deaths.

Mr Lister said: “As the holiday season is drawing upon us, the BRSC wants to reiterate our message of ’don’t drink and drive’.

“This month will see the launch of our annual designated driver campaign.

“This holiday season will have many events and increased opportunities for consuming alcohol and while we don’t want to stop people from doing that, we want to remind them to be responsible.

“Be responsible that when you go out to drink, plan ahead how you will be getting home.”

Mr Lister added: “There are options to get home safely, from pre-arranging pick-up via a taxi or minibus, to having a friend or relative to come collect you, to having a designated driver.”

He said: “We must all do our part to address the bad behaviours that we see on the road.”

Mr Lister added that the council’s main focus for this month was “no distracted driving”.

He said: “Distracted driving is anything that takes your focus off of the road.

“We implore and encourage drivers to remember to remain focused and not to get distracted while driving.

“The smallest distraction can lead to an accident, which could have been avoidable.

Mr Lister added: “Be cautious, be courteous, be safe, Bermuda and let’s all do our part to be a part of the solution”.