Government is to introduce a slate of get-tough road safety measures in a bid to stamp out a culture of drink-driving and reduce the number of deaths on the Island’s roads.The initiatives include what effectively amounts to a zero-tolerance policy on drink-driving, with motorists at risk of being above the legal drink-drive limit if they have just one drink.An array of strategically-placed speed cameras monitoring the Island’s roads will catch speeding motorists and reckless drivers in the act.And under new laws, positive roadside breathalyser tests will be admissible in court as evidence. Currently, roadside tests can only be used as an indication of drink-driving and a second test is needed.Unveiling the initiatives yesterday, Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell said cost assessments need to be carried out before legislation is put before the House, but he was confident the measures will be in place within the next year.And he said the tough deterrents were needed to change the attitudes of motorists and make roads safer.Last year nine people were killed in road traffic accidents and there have already been five fatalities this year — a statistic Mr Crockwell described as “very disheartening”.“We live on an island where drinking is a major part of our social activities,” Mr Crockwell told the House of Assembly.“I do not want people to curtail their leisure activities. What I am asking though is that we care a little bit more, that we take our time a little bit more and that we drive in a way that ensures we can continue to enjoy life to the fullest.”The legal limit for blood-alcohol levels is to be slashed from 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood to just 40 milligrams.Mr Crockwell said the reduction will mean drivers could be above the legal limit if they have just one drink — and would encourage drinkers to abstain completely if they planned on getting behind the wheel.“I choose not to give an estimation of how many drinks one can have, because quite frankly, all driving Bermudians and residents need to get to the point that when they plan to go out, knowing that they will consume alcoholic drinks, they will leave their car or bike at home,” Mr Crockwell said.“It really is that simple. When we factor how much money we may spend on a night’s entertainment, we need to add $25 for taxi fare, so that we can enjoy a full night’s fun without having to take a dangerous and potentially fatal chance.”When asked by The Royal Gazette if the reduced limit effectively amounted to a zero-tolerance policy, the Minister replied: “Basically, yes. If you have even just one drink, you could be in trouble.”Pointing out that, under the current law, roadside breathalyser tests cannot be used as evidence in court, Mr Crockwell said it was essential to gather evidence of drink-driving as quickly as possible.“If people do wish to play Russian Roulette with their own and other road users’ lives, then we need to be able to detect alcohol when someone is driving and is impaired,” Mr Crockwell said.“The only admissible evidence of alcohol in the system is taken at the police station.“By that time, the alcohol may have dissipated and the driver is now ‘legal’ although at the scene, at the time of arrest, they would have been impaired. So I will be asking Cabinet to approve amending the law to permit evidential roadside sobriety testing.“These two efforts — a reduction in the allowable limit, and the ability to make roadside testing admissible in court — should go some way to both deterring offenders, and removing drivers under the influence from our roads.”Mr Crockwell said that previously dropped plans to introduce speed cameras will be taken up by the new administration, albeit only as a pilot programme initially.Speed camera laws were passed by the PLP Government a decade ago, but the programme was shelved because of cost considerations.The Minister said that advances in technology had reduced the cost of the programme, but added that it was too early to say how many cameras will be in operation or where they will be deployed.“At first it may be a pilot programme, but it is my intention to see a network of speed cameras across Bermuda to slow down drivers and make them aware of their speed,” he said.“The benefit of speed cameras is manifold and, aside from the reduction in manpower needs, the fact that they can operate day or night, and the fact that I am certain once operational they will act as a major deterrent to speeding, I am glad that we may have the option of using technology to produce safer and more orderly roads.”Mr Crockwell acknowledged that many offenders ignored speeding fines, but that the Transport Control Department will have the ability to enforce speeding infractions caught on camera.Licence plates of speeding vehicles will be identified and logged, and offenders will not be able to renew their annual vehicle licence until fines are paid.And motorists could face stiff penalties if they flout the law. Currently first-time drink-drivers are given a mandatory one-year driving ban and, typically, a fine of $1,000.Mr Crockwell said that the Attorney General is now reviewing those penalties with a view to increasing them.“Both as a Minister and as a Bermudian, I have seen far too many families mourn loved ones who will not celebrate anymore birthdays, Easters, Cup Matches, or Christmases,” Mr Crockwell said.“I wish that I could guarantee that we will not have any more road fatalities.But this Government, and in fact any representative of Government is not elected to hope and wish, but to listen and act. This Government has listened and now we need to act.”