The number of arrests for drink-driving fell almost ten percent last year over 2001, according to statistics released yesterday by the Bermuda Police Service.

The numbers were greeted with cautious optimism by Police but plans are also underway to target public education messages to the worst offenders - men between the ages of 22 and 40.

Police arrested 323 people on suspicion of driving while intoxicated last year as opposed to 355 one year earlier.

Nine out of ten of those arrested were men, accounting for 295 of 323 arrests.

"The key and core offenders remain men between the ages of 22 and 47," Police spokesmen Dwayne Caines said.

"We will be sitting down with the Road Safety Council to ascertain what we can do to specifically target that demographic.

With 87 traffic accidents last year linked to drink-driving, there is still much cause for concern in Bermuda.

"While we only had two road fatalities for 2002, we believe that they were two fatalities too many," Mr. Caines said. "Until those statistics say none, we will not be satisfied."

While the overall number of arrests fell, the percentage of those stopped who failed, or refused to comply with, breathalyser tests remained static at 87 percent.

Of the 323 persons arrested last year, 198 failed breathalysers tests while only 41 people passed. Eighty-four people refused to take the tests. Refusal results in an automatic conviction in Magistrates' Court.

The bulk of those arrested for drinking and driving fell between the ages of 22 and 40 - 57 percent - but arrests were made in every age group including 12 individuals under the age of 18.

The youngest person stopped was 15 years old - that individual passed the breathalyser test. But a 73-year-old individual failed the test and was the oldest person arrested.

Arrests were more likely to occur on the weekends with the highest number of arrests made on Saturdays (92) and the fewest on Tuesdays (21).

More arrests occurred between the hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. (95) than any other time period.

Those who were intoxicated while driving showed average blood alcohol levels of more than two times the legal limit on average.

The mean average failure rate was reported at 163.16 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

The highest reading recorded in 2001 was 386 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

The most common vehicle stopped were cars (130) followed by cycles (127) and vans (7).

Two people were arrested on pedal cycles as well as two taxi drivers, one mini-van driver and one boat operator.

Mr. Caines said he hoped the overall decline in arrests was an indication the 'do not drink and drive' message is getting through.

"There is no quick answer to why the numbers have fallen," he said. "However, if our community has been adhering to the message of responsible drinking, we are cautiously optimistic that is a sign of good things to come."