Dear Sir,

I’m writing your column once again, looking for someone to answer my question concerning driving without lights with cars, trucks, vans, mopeds, motorbikes and scooters, even some other types of vehicles at times after 5pm when people are travelling home after work and in some cases going to work.

At the end of day, light is at its worst, especially going west into the prevailing sun, with dusk coming in fast reducing the light quickly. It’s like driving through fog — extra care is truly needed.

Most recently, your Royal Gazette has been filled with scenes from the carnage on our island’s roads from past years to the most recent deaths from 2017. A total of 17 unnecessary deaths putting so many families through so much heartache with a loss of a spouse, sibling, friend, neighbour and most tragic when we lose a tourist. It’s so hard to comprehend why we need to drive in the manner that we do.

Every end of day, early evening, into the dark of night, I witness individuals driving without any lights at all. The police have to start giving warnings before we suffer another loss of life.

The law used to say when the street lights came on, you need to at least have your parking lights switched on. Many individuals do not practise this at all.

Coming out of a driveway on to a major roadway is becoming so dangerous, even in daylight let alone night-time. You’re turning left, you check for lights coming from the right before proceeding left; no lights seen and proceed to enter the road. Surprise, a car, bike or truck, etc is there with horn blaring and if you are lucky, you get a few adjectives yelled at you, along with a friendly finger gesture, which is always nice, especially when your family and children are in the car. Ever so kind.

So Bermuda! Let’s be a little more tolerant towards one another when travelling on our roads. More patience and kindness should prevail over the intolerance — the “don’t care” attitude behaviour that we see and witness on a daily basis. Let’s help to prevent another family from the heartache and pain at losing a loved one on our roads.

I’m hoping this letter will help our motoring public to take an immediate stance to rectify this simple problem by using their lights when they are required while driving in the conditions I mentioned. This would certainly make our roads that much more safer, especially at night.

Also, let’s try to help our police department who already have so much to oversee on a daily basis.

PS. The problem with people driving without lights is only but one area of the many problems we all need to address concerning our driving while using our roads. You all know what I mean. Hey, this statement includes me as well. Bermuda, we need to do better, we must do better. One life is far too many to lose on our roads.

Let’s do it.

H. GORDY GIBBONS

Paget