THE Opposition United Bermuda Party is calling for a stronger police presence and stiffer penalties for traffic offenders in a bid to make roads safer for motorists.

Opposition Senate Leader Michael Dunkley spoke out following the death of Larry Thomas in a collision in the early hours of Saturday. Mr. Thomas became the eighth road fatality of the year, prompting Road Safety Council head Roxanne Christopher to say that the island was "in crisis mode".

Yesterday, Sen. Dunkley said that, while he did not want the issue of road safety to become a political football, Government should have done more to encourage safer driving habits.

He pointed out that most accidents were the result of motorists driving too quickly or while impaired through drink or drugs ¿ and that stiffer penalties would encourage motorists to curb their speed.

Sen. Dunkley said the problem was being compounded by a lack of manpower in the Police Service, resulting in fewer officers being able to patrol the roads.

The father of two noted that highways had become increasingly congested in recent years ¿ and that he was always concerned for his daughters' safety whenever they went out on the roads. But while Government had frequently discussed traffic enforcement measures such as a points system and speed cameras, fresh legislation has never been introduced.

"It is up to us to look at why these accidents are happening and in the vast majority of cases it is down to speed or the use of alcohol or drugs," Sen. Dunkley said.

"But if we had more police on the roads, that would have a calming influence. We need to have police motorcycle riders out 24/7 in order to curb aggressive driving. But there is a lack of manpower in the Police Service which is effectively stopping them from doing their job.

"Of course, there will always be accidents, even at the best of times, and the families that are left can never lose the pain of losing somebody in such tragic circumstances.

"But it seems that more and more people are driving at reckless speeds. I know that, because of my work, I can be out at three o'clock or four o'clock in the morning and people are driving as if it's the Daytona 500.

"We should be enforcing harsher penalties in the courts. People with fines for speeding, turn up, pay the fine and then they're off again.

"The Road Safety Council has obviously stepped up recently and I commend them for that but I continue to be aggravated by the situation. These problems haven't been dealt with in years and now the chickens are coming home to roost.

"Nobody wants to turn this into a political football but at the same time there are things that can be done and should be done. What we in the Opposition are trying to do is stimulate the debate to try and bring about some positive change."

Sen. Dunkley also said the enforcement of penalties was essential to make drivers obey the laws of the road.

"I know that, when people travel overseas, it would never cross their minds to drive while impaired in, say, the US, because there it's rightly seen as a very serious offence," he said.

"But then they get back home, have a few drinks and then go on the road and they don't give it a second thought ¿ clearly that's wrong."