Two minor accidents occurred over the weekend, on Friday and Saturday.

Last Friday at 8:27pm, a 16-year-old motorcyclist crashed in Titikaveka sustaining a broken arm and minor injuries to his leg and back.

The motorcyclist was involved in a single-vehicle crash on the main road near Kano’s Store in Titikaveka. An ambulance responded to the scene.

On Saturday at 12:30pm, a rental vehicle collided with an oncoming car that was turning.

Road accidents last month drew concerns from the police and the community. As a result, there were six checkpoints during one particular shift over the three days last week. Traffic fines were issued at these checkpoints.

Cook Islands Police spokesperson Trevor Pitt said: “All the fines were issued by one particular team, who did a great job on their Friday Early, Saturday Late and Sunday Late shifts. Six checkpoints per shift. Very commendable work in road safety.”

According to Pitt, these traffic enforcement stops make a difference by minimising the risk of road accidents, addressing reckless driving, deterring intoxicated driving, curbing underage driving and addressing other illegal driving concerns.

Road safety is a major issue in Rarotonga, with last month seeing more accidents than the previous month.

A local market vendor, Clerk Tangiura Turua, suggested installing more speed bumps to encourage drivers to follow the speed limit.

While speed bumps seem like a good idea for road safety, Pitt argued that they are not entirely suitable for certain drivers, particularly emergency services such as the police, fire department and ambulance.

“It will disrupt their services.”