Coffins were placed on the steps of the City Hall to hammer home the grim reality of drunk driving.

Safe drinking campaigner Anthony Santucci said he hoped the move would give people the "heebie jeebies" to shock them into better attitudes towards road safety.

Bermuda has suffered four road deaths this year, including two in the past ten days; and 17 last year, one of the worst totals in the Island's history. Studies show nearly three quarters of road deaths are drug- or alcohol-related. Launching Alcohol Awareness Month, campaigners from CADA placed caskets in front of the City Hall where a host of speakers talked of the perils of being drunk behind the wheel.

CADA chairman Mr. Santucci told The Royal Gazette: "The objective really is to point out the fatality of the people who have died on Bermuda's roads.

"This is Bermuda's genocide. If all these people died at once there would be massive outrage. But because it happens over time, we are just slowly losing these lives. Did you feel the heebie jeebies when you walked up and saw those caskets? That's what the community needs to feel."

Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler told people gathered at City Hall: "We need to take drastic steps like this to show people how serious drinking and driving can be. This demonstrates what the consequences can be for those people who drink and drive."

United Bermuda Party leader Kim Swan said: "Alcohol and drug abuse being associated with road accidents on our Island is a serious issue. We must encourage people in our community to make the right choices. In other jurisdictions there's a zero tolerance for drinking and driving."

CADA has now changed its name from 'CADA — the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention' to 'CADA — Encouraging Responsible Alcohol Behaviour'.