Road traffic collisions are down for the year so far since the Selective Traffic Enforcement Programme was stepped up by the Bermuda Police Service.At at a joint police press conference between the police, and Carlton Crockwell, chairman of the Road Safety Council, the emphasis was placed on changing the mindset of Bermuda’s motoring public.According to Inspector Phil Lewis there were 952 collisions on Bermuda’s roads by July 9 last year, compared to the 870 recorded up to July 9 this year.But he admitted that motorists tend to break the rules of the road more frequently when there’s no police visibility.Asked why police are not stationed regularly on East Broadway to monitor morning rush hour traffic and third lane motorists, Insp Lewis said: “Let’s be realistic, we cannot put a police officer there every morning of the week to deal with that. We’re limited when we can put out certain types of patrols.“I’m not going to hide it, it’s a fact that if people don’t see police on the roads, they will do certain things, and that is unfortunate.“This is why we have these types of partnerships, because we are trying to stress the importance that because you don’t see a police officer it isn’t right for you to run a stop sign.“It isn’t right for you to drive and talk on your phone, or text. It isn’t right for you to overtake two cars on a right hand bend. All these are the things that the police are focusing on.“We’re hoping that people will heed the call and do the things that all of us as adults know that we should do.”Between March 1 and July 9 police issued 1,406 speeding tickets, 76 motorists were booked for driving without due care with another 13 ticketed for driving in a manner dangerous.Another 971 motorists were booked for disobeying traffic signs, 108 helmet offences were recorded, 129 motorists were booked for driving while impaired with 635 motorists booked for using a hand held device while operating vehicles.Insp Lewis added: “We don’t like to go out there and book people just because we can, and this is why the real emphasis is based on educating people to the dangers of the road, and obeying the traffic laws.“Those people who fail to heed the call of educating themselves, or listening to the call, then at some point in time, it may not be today, but they will be caught, and that’s where the enforcement aspect comes in.“The whole focus of this is to change behaviours. You know it’s dangerous, you know it’s against the law, why would you take the chance because you haven’t seen an officer.“Let’s say you’re on your cell phone driving with your child in the back, forget the child because it’s against the law. And we’re trying to educate people not to do that.“There are still those who will do what they want to do. Hopefully we will catch those people when they do that, but education really is the main focus of this, followed closely with a partnership of enforcement.”