Police yesterday warned the public they will be stepping up patrols to rid the roads of drink drivers over Christmas and the New Year.

Inspector Mark Bothello, of the Roads Policing division, said: "We will have vigilant patrols out and we encourage people not to drink and drive and to obey the speed limits.

"We wish to have an accident-free Christmas period and we hope everyone obeys the rules of the road."

The Road Safety Council and the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (CADA) teamed up with Police to urge road safety and responsible consumption habits.

Roxanne Christopher, road safety, officer stated: "The Road Safety Council and the Ministry of Transport would like to definitely send the message across that people do not drink and drive."

She warned that under current legislation, businesses caught selling alcohol to anyone under the age of 18 face fines of up to $10,000, although she conceded no one has been prosecuted yet.

"We're asking that they be responsible in their consumption," she appealed. "We are not telling people not to drink, but you must be responsible, please use services such as CADA's shuttle services, taxis or public transportation.

"You can even have a designated driver, we do not want to have anymore fatalities for the year, we're already at 11 and possibly 12 as it stands today."

Ms Christopher voiced concerns that there were too many ongoing cases of underage drinking in establishments Island-wide and situations where fake IDs are being flashed, with little oversight by businesses.

She urged businesses which sell alcohol: "Please take some responsibility and do not just think about how much money you're making, please think about the lives on the line and ensure these young people are being carded."

Anthony Santucci, CADA chairman, stated that the average person who drives over the legal limit is 11 to 54 percent more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than a person who is not driving.

The "scary" statistics were taken from the Bermuda 2006 road fatality survey, Mr. Santucci added. "Also, 76 percent of those tested for drunk driving failed," he explained.

"These statistics show that drinking and driving is a deadly and dangerous thing to do.

"During this holiday season, CADA is urging, do not put yourself at risk, if you're going to be out drinking, catch a taxi, take the bus, or use one of our street taxis or shuttles."

CADA's free late-night taxi, shuttle and mini-bus service are available every Friday night on Front Street from 3.15 a.m. to 3.45 a.m. and free service has been extended to tomorrow night.

For more information on the free transport service, visit www.cada.bm or call 295-5982.