yesterday.

There were 187 drunk driving arrests up to the end of September. That was a three percent decrease from the 193 arrests during the same period last year, Police said.

And the monthly numbers have consistently been below last year's since January.

"Overall, it appears as though we are heading for a record low in the number of arrests of impaired drivers since the inception of the Alco-Analyser machine in 1984,'' said Sgt. Roseanda Jones of Police Community and Media Relations.

Mr. Alastair Macdonald, chairman of the National Drug Strategy's interim steering committee, said he expected the downward trend in drunk driving arrests would continue.

"I'm not surprised at all,'' by the statistics, Mr. Macdonald said. In fact, "I'm surprised it's taken this long to work its way through.'' It was always difficult to measure alcohol consumption in society, but Mr.

Macdonald's impression from his own experience and talking to those in the service industry was that "people are drinking less and drinking less frequently''.

Greater knowledge of the effects of alcohol on health were combined with people "being very careful about drinking and driving,'' he said. Many people now used designated drivers.

Because young people were finally being educated about the dangers of drinking, "I think we'll see a new generation come up that recognises that alcohol brings with it very major risks''.

The 46 road traffic accidents involving impaired drivers was unchanged from last year, Police said.

The hours between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. were the most likely ones for impaired driving arrests, and people between 22 and 40 years of age accounted for 42 percent of those arrested.

Meanwhile, the number of road traffic accidents fell by five percent in September, to 230 from 243 last year, Police reported.

But one of the accidents last month claimed the lives of two young men, the report noted.

And the number of personal injury accidents was up. There were 164 injury accidents last month, compared to 132 in September of 1992.

Inexperience was cited as the major cause of accidents. But while that problem once afflicted mainly tourists, "this is becoming more evident in our young motorists,'' Sgt. Jones said.

Those under age 21 accounted for nearly 10 percent of all those involved in accidents in September.

The worst accident spot on the Island during September was the junction of Spurling Hill and East Broadway in Hamilton, Police said.

Four accidents at that location all involved local residents. In each case, the motorist was driving off Spurling Hill to meet East Broadway and collided with the rear of the vehicle in front of them. There were no injuries.

Motorists should make sure the motorist in front of them has driven off for East Broadway before leaving Spurling Hill, Sgt. Jones said.