Campaigners want drunk drivers to be forced to take an educational course about the perils of alcohol.Fiona Elkinson, of Bermuda Professional Counselling Services, says currently only about 20 percent of offenders take advantage of Government’s voluntary Driving Under the Influence programme.She says if it was mandatory as part of the Road Traffic Act it would help press home to drunk drivers the potential consequences of their actions.“There are real dangers on the roads and it’s an increasing risk for people to be aware of,” said Mrs Elkinson, who says up to 80 percent of accidents on Bermuda’s roads are alcohol-related.“We have been pressing for this course to be mandatory for some time. Research from overseas shows when people are forced to attend the course it does make a difference to the way they make decisions.”She was responding to Transport Minister Terry Lister’s suggestion the Island’s drunk driving laws could be toughened up after its road death rate for 2010 dwarfed most Caribbean islands.Currently, people can opt to undergo the DUI programme, at a cost of $400, to knock three months off their driving bans.A 12-hour course, it uses videos and presentations to talk about alcoholism and alcohol dependency, and how alcohol can influence the ability to make decisions.Such courses are the norm in other countries, said Mrs Elkinson, who added: “We are falling behind in Bermuda and we have a greater risk of injuries here anyway because so many people ride bikes.”Mrs Elkinson said there is a strong temptation to drive while drunk in Bermuda partly because of a poor late-night public transport and some taxi drivers’ refusal to pick up intoxicated passengers.“So they decide to get on their bikes and drive home,” she said. “But some of them don’t make it home.”She said a multi-pronged approach is needed to change attitudes, including a more visible police presence to show laws of the roads are being enforced.Reacting to the Island’s death rate earlier this week, Anthony Santucci, chairman of campaign group CADA, said the DUI course should be mandatory.“We support any review of the current legislation because anything and everything that can be done to decrease the number of deaths on our roads would be welcome, including making the DUI education school mandatory before a licence is reinstated,” said Mr Santucci.