6,030 Tickets Issued In Just Over One Year
Operation Vega was introduced in July 2021 and in “just over one year, 6,030 tickets for various traffic offences have been issued,” the police said today.
A police spokesperson said, “Introduced Tuesday 6th July 2021, Operation Vega continues to focus on the extent of undesirable riding and driving behaviours on Bermuda’s roads. In just over one year, 6,030 tickets for various traffic offences have been issued.
“More recently in a four week period from 21st June until 11th July 2022, 444 tickets have been issued, for a variety of traffic infractions. In addition, 50 warnings were issued.
“The breakdown of traffic offences reported during this four week period is as follows:
- Speeding 186 [highest ticketed speed was 89 kph]
- Disobeying a traffic sign 98
- Unlicensed vehicle 42
- No third party insurance 36
- No driver’s licence 40
- Manner of driving 15
- Disqualified driving 4
- Seatbelt 11
- Unfastened helmet 9
- Handheld device 0
- Defective vehicle 2
- Failure to give name/address 1
“The fourth quarter of 2021 showed a reduction in reported collisions compared with the fourth quarter of 2020, while the first quarter of 2022 saw a reduction in reported collisions compared to the first quarter of 2021. However, the second quarter of 2022 saw reported collisions edge up slightly from the second quarter of 2021.”
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Q4 | 318 | 353 | 278 | |
| Q1 | 324 | 257 | 306 | 265 |
| Q2 | 385 | 197 | 316 | 329 |
Acting Superintendent Robert Cardwell [Tactical Support Division] explained, “We feel that Operation Vega is having an impact on collisions, as we have seen collision rates a lot higher than they have been of recent.
“Stopping those who are out there committing blatant traffic offences and ensuring they are being held accountable is the way forward and the Bermuda Police Service is committed to making this happen.
“Many collisions are attributable to human error and bad judgement. We can continue to see decreases in collisions by continuing to encourage everyone to take their manner of driving or riding seriously and apply all measures of safety available to you.”
16 tickets per day.
Where are Q3 numbers?
So the numbers shown above amount to 6030 tickets?
No wonder we have no money Mr.Premier/Finance.
“Disobeying a traffic sign 98″
What are you on about? Car drivers only?
Traffic signs and traffic lights to not apply to bikes and have not for years.
If you think the only people who ignore traffic signs and light are only bikes you must have not been anywhere near the lights at all the trenching sites for the last few years.
Thankfully, I have managed to avoid the most of the trench works over the last few years, but what you say does not surprise me. I have complained about cars proceeding through red lights in the City over the past few years. It has got worse with the pandemic. But bikes (motor-cycles and auxiliary-cycles) are by far the worst offenders.
I think you may have commuted by a combination of boat and drone in 2021 – at one point they had active trench work in Sandys, Warwick (Middle Road), both sides of Harrington Sound, and two separate locations in St. George’s. It was insane.
But yes, we all agree that running red lights and stop signs is a regular thing here
Amazing! They truly could not try harder to allow drunks to enjoy carte blanche on our roads, not even one arrest for DUI and not one for handheld devices. Defund these jokers.
The amount of people still driving around without license (personal or vehicular) and insurance is shocking and clearly shows the total couldn’t care less , lawless mentality of certain people determined to flout the laws and do whatever they please regardless of the possible outcome.
But still I ask why aren’t there any numbers at all for ticketing people driving around with these in your face, illegible and illegal license plates ?
So very easy to fix . I count dozens of them every day . Are the police blind ? Are they afraid of angering their friends and relatives ?
I don’t care . Get them off the road now and stop relying on TCD to fail the vehicle which will only result in the offenders putting the plates right back on after getting their pass slip.
Sad inna. 16 tickets could be issued in 16 minutes any morning of the week at the Paget lights.
The police have nothing to crow about. Rather, they should be ashamed of themselves for such poor performance.
So absolutely no tickets for handheld devices, and not even a reference to drunk driving, the two leading causes of traffic collisions and deaths. Great job BPS!
The fact that they’ve reported zero for use of handheld devices shows a lot, particularly since the general public sees them in use every single day.
Vega, like the campaigns before it, is more of the same. Revenue-based-policing with little impact on the driving culture in Bermuda.
So true. Just on Sunday afternoon whilst on my way home from shopping, there was a man on a motor-cycle driving east on Front Street holding a mobile telephone in front of his face and talking whilst riding. I heard a snippet about cricket. No one seemed to care.
And this morning in town I pulled up outside the GPO well behind the safety/stop line and a woman in a car in the next lane has a cell phone up to her face in full sight yakking away and doesn’t stop until she’s in the pedestrian crossing zone. Then when the light changed to green I was gone and she was still there yakking proudly on her ‘device’ while everyone behind her was losing their cool.
I lost count of all the people on their phones in cars and trucks on the way to town and back .
Looking at it another way, there are 468 police officers in Bermuda, so in a year they issued an average of 13 tickets each. Approximately one ticket per officer per month.
And what about the pedal cycles? First of all, they SPEED beyond 35kph all the time. Second, they rarely stop, if ever, for stop signs or lights. And they ride in packs sometimes more than 2 abreast. ALL of which are against the traffic laws. How many of them ever get stopped or given a ticket for breaking traffic laws? NONE! Bermuda traffic laws are old and outdated and I for one do not blame anyone for driving according to 2022! We aren’t in horse and buggies anymore Bermuda! Wake up and get real.
So heavily skewed numbers when missing an entire quarter. ONLY 186 speeding give me a break that’s pathetically low, and just look at the un licensed, un insured, disqualified, no license guess no one gives a cr@@ and fines and consequences are IN ADEQUATE
My oversight on release of these numbers – apologies…
2021 Impaired Drivers Arrested – 138
2022 Jan – July Impaired Drivers Arrested 81
Robert W Cardwell
Acting Superintendent
Bermuda Police Service