OBA’s Richardson On Road Safety Bill & More
“Every one of us has an obligation to slow down, obey the law, remain alert and never operate a vehicle while impaired, but personal responsibility cannot be the whole of a Government road-safety policy,” OBA MP Jarion Richardson said.
Mr. Richardson — the Shadow Minister of National Security, Governance & Artificial Intelligence – said, “Saturday was not simply another difficult day on Bermuda’s roads. According to reports, three serious collisions occurred within hours of one another, leaving people seriously injured and one person dead. Our thoughts are with every family affected, and with the police officers, firefighters, paramedics and hospital staff who were again called upon to deal with the consequences.
Image of one of the three serious collisions on Saturday
“The Government is right to remind drivers and riders about personal responsibility. Every one of us has an obligation to slow down, obey the law, remain alert and never operate a vehicle while impaired. But personal responsibility cannot be the whole of a Government road-safety policy.
“Government has responsibilities too: to provide effective laws, sufficient enforcement, functioning public transport, safer infrastructure, modern systems and consequences capable of deterring dangerous behaviour.
“That is why the OBA has brought a concrete road-safety Bill before Parliament. The Bill is not the entire solution, and we have never claimed that it is. Bermuda’s road-safety problem is complex. But complexity is not an excuse for paralysis, and waiting until every piece of a perfect strategy is ready before taking any meaningful step is simply another form of delay.
“The perfect cannot become the enemy of the good while people continue to be injured and killed.
“Inaction is not restraint. Delay is not prudence. Leadership is not about waiting until every decision is easy or universally popular; it is about acting when the evidence shows that the present course is failing.
“The OBA Bill would strengthen enforcement, deterrence and consequences while providing safeguards around police powers. Government can support its principles, improve its details in Committee and continue working on the other parts of a comprehensive road-safety strategy at the same time. Those things are not mutually exclusive.
“After years of warnings, serious injuries, fatalities and repeated announcements, Bermuda does not need another choice between doing everything and doing nothing. We need Government to begin doing the things that can be done now.
“Support the Bill. Improve it in Parliament. And get on with the work of making Bermuda’s roads safer.”
Read More About
Category: Accidents and fires, All, News, Politics
Gee, that’s nice, but what are the points of the bill?