A split-second lapse in attention could cost lives on the roads, a government minister warned yesterday.

Diallo Rabain, the Minister of Education, said that an advertisement by road safety campaigner A Piece of the Rock, which showed the potential consequences of texting at the wheel, highlighted the dangers.

The advert, being screened in movie theatres, shows a woman driver with a baby in the back seat using her phone on the move just before she crashes into a motorbike with a man and his son on board.

Mr Rabain said: “We have all seen that rather graphic advert.

“It is very telling what can happen in a split second when you look down at your phone; that split second you take your attention away from what is happening in front of you can result in devastating consequences.”

Mr Rabain was speaking at the City Hall launch of Road Safety Week, organised by the Bermuda Road Safety Council and the Road Safety Office.

The event was attended by road safety campaigners from Drive for Change, A Piece of the Rock and anti-substance abuse charity Cada, as well as Zane DeSilva, the transport minister.

Dennis Lister III, the chairman of the Bermuda Road Safety Council, said: “Road safety is of the utmost importance in Bermuda because every one of us has been directly or indirectly affected in some way by our roads. Road safety takes all of us doing our part, big or small, in helping to change our driving behaviour.”

The event included demonstrations by participants on road safety course Project Ride and Benji’s Driving School.

Road safety events will be held all week, including a public vigil on Friday for those killed on the roads. The vigil will be held on the lawn of City Hall from noon to 2pm.