An episode in one of this year's most popular US television dramas has driven home the dangers of riding a moped on Bermuda's roads.

Road Safety Officer Roxanne Christopher relayed to Hamilton Rotarians at their weekly luncheon the worrying message that was sent to perhaps as many as 80 million viewers of the popular HBO drama, the Sopranos.

"There was an episode where one of the characters in the series had to attend to his wife for weeks, after she had broken her arm and ankle, while renting an auxiliary cycle during her vacation in Bermuda,'' Ms Christopher said.

"It was shocking to know that some writer in the US thought it important enough to convey to the world, that while renting a moped in Bermuda you may suffer road related injuries.

"The message to the world must change.'' Ms Christopher said an industry standard for livery cycle instruction needs to be implemented and she called on the cycle liveries to join with the Road Safety Council to address the problem.

"What certifies an employee of a cycle livery to provide instruction to a tourist,'' she questioned. "Is life experience enough? Is his driving record checked? Might he have road traffic offences? Drunk driving?'' Ms Christopher noted that Bermuda's roads are unique and held that for this reason it was even more important that "specific rules of the road'' be taught.

In new statistical information she revealed that the 31- to 40-year-old age group have the worst track record of road safety offences.

"It is consistently the 31- to 40-year-olds that are involved in collisions on our roads,'' she said.

"To exactly pinpoint the problem the Road Safety Council will be gathering data to find out why this is happening,'' she continued. "With the information gathered and analysed, the Road Safety Council will effectively engineer programmes that will address these problems.''