community to consider.

Road safety has been a growing concern since 1998, when 17 people died in road accidents and it became clear that the quality of driving -- and driving manners -- was decreasing.

There tends to be an assumption that most people involved in road accidents are young and reckless. The statistics do not bear this out. Many of the people involved in accidents are older, and the 30 to 50 age group is the most likely to be arrested for impaired driving.

As Road Safety Officer Roxanne Christopher notes today, it is this age group that, having gotten away with it before, keeps driving after having had too much to drink.

It is not clear if tightening the impaired driving laws further will help.

Lowering the legal amount of alcohol in the bloodstream from 80 millilitres to 50 millilitres will only assist if the law is enforced. The real question is at what level does a driver become impaired and that may vary quite widely.

On the other hand, raising the penalties for impaired driving is a sound idea.

A car or bike becomes a lethal weapon in the hands of an impaired driver and the penalties should reflect that. If people can be fined thousands of dollars or jailed for having an offensive weapon, then the same should apply to impaired drivers? Increasing fines and having a jail sentence hanging over the heads of impaired drivers would be an strong deterrent. The point is to stop people from driving while impaired, not to lock hundreds of people up.

It should also be clear that more can be done to save lives once an accident has occurred. Thirty years ago, against great resistance, Bermuda made helmets mandatory for motorcycle riders.

That decision saved countless lives, but Dr. Joseph Froncioni's point in yesterday's paper is well taken. Old or damaged helmets give little protection. In some cases, riders might as well wear a flat cloth cap for all the protection a battered or flimsy helmet will provide.

Making a helmet test part of bike licensing would be a good place to start in ensuring that helmets do what they are supposed to: save lives.

MENTORING DAY EDT Mentoring day Training expert Laureen Bassett's call for a Day of Mentoring to teach young people proper work values is timely.

In a speech last week, Ms Bassett said the Day of Mentoring would go a long way to teaching young people the best ways to get ahead in their careers and to avoid rude exchanges and verbal battles.

Ms Bassett singled out the House of Assembly and the Senate for teaching the wrong lessons about respect and manners and she was right to do so. But children learn the wrong lessons about how to conduct themselves every day in the street and at home.

"From technical career planning to tutoring in communication skills, to the proper way to walk and talk, suggested and successful interview techniques,'' she said.

"This day of mentoring would not require money, but your time and your expertise. Nothing could be more valuable than that as it is truly a matter of survival.'' She is right. Business -- and Government -- could do a great deal of good by taking up this simple idea and making it a reality.