Top Island medics yesterday called for a get-tough policy on drinking and driving.

And among their recommendations to cut the grim toll of death and injury on the roads are: A change in the law to allow mandatory testing in hospital of road accident victims suspected of being impaired through drink or drugs and; Random breath tests, as well as compulsory blood testing for anyone in a road accident.

The call came from Bermuda Medical Society chief Dr. George Shaw and orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Joseph Froncioni -- who accused Government and Police of not taking the problem seriously enough.

They were speaking after fury erupted over a light sentence handed down to the teenage son of a UBP MP and lawyer.

Jessie DeCouto, 19, son of Ann Cartwright DeCouto, was allowed to keep driving motorcycles and cars after being caught with 138 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The limit is 80.

Dr. Froncioni said that many accident victims he had seen had clearly been drinking heavily -- but that there was no way to obtain legal proof at present.

And he criticised Police for failing to include alcohol in the list of the most common causes of road accidents.

Dr. Froncioni said: "The word `alcohol' is completely absent -- I find that horrific.

"More recently, there have been very light sentences given to impaired drivers.'' Dr. Shaw added: "There are tons of papers which have been written elsewhere, really good investigative work, which shows that some of these things which we are discussing have made a big difference.'' "But nobody wants to even know about it -- they are shying away from it like it's leprosy.'' Dr. Froncioni said: "When you look at the attitude of other developed countries -- Canada, the UK and Australia -- it's embarrassing to see the contrast.'' He added that penalties for drinking and driving in many other countries were far tougher than Bermuda -- with confiscation of vehicles happening in some places.

And he said: "In most countries you are allowed to draw blood for alcohol levels in the emergency room -- we are not allowed to do that here.'' Dr. Froncioni denied that taking blood without consent was an infringement of civil liberties.

He said: "Alcohol and drug-affected drivers constitute a serious health hazard to other road users and in this respect should be identified and dealt with in a more definitive manner.

"If people know they won't get insurance and face getting convicted of a criminal offence when they recover, they will be less likely to take the risk of drinking and driving.'' Drinking and driving From Page 1 He added random breath-testing from mobile Police checkpoints would also be a powerful deterrent.

Studies in Canada have shown random breath tests reduced the annual roads death toll by up to 30 percent.

Dr. Francioni said: "If people know there is a barrier around Hamilton every weekend, they would find another way to get home.'' But he added: "The denial and hypocrisy which exists here is very real and includes the Police and the Government.

"There are ways to detect drinking and driving and there are ways to deter it -- but it's probably a bit of a political hot potato.

"I don't think Government has stopped and given any thought to the horrendous cost of drinking and driving -- insurance costs, damage to property and other costs hard to measure, like pain, anguish and family problems.

"Most of the major trauma I see -- the patients who come in and die -- most of them are heavily intoxicated. But the only way to establish that is with an objective blood test and we aren't allowed to do that.'' The views of the BMS sub-committee set up to examine road safety was submitted last year to Transport Minister Wayne Furbert.

But the two medics said they had yet to receive a reply from the Ministry.

Police Commissioner Colin Coxall denied officers were soft on drinking and driving.

But he added: "I have been concerned since I came here, and I have taken those concerns to Ministers, at the lack of appropriate legislation to deal with drinking and driving.'' He said that UK-style legislation, including the use of hand-held breathalysers for officers and the power to breathalyse for due cause and where accidents have happened, was needed.

Mr. Coxall said he supported the two doctors on their calls for mandatory blood tests on injured people.

He added: "It's wholly wrong that an individual could be involved in a serious road accident which could result in serious injury to innocent members of the public and then -- by dint of declining to have an alcohol test -- escape the responsibility for their actions.'' But Mr. Coxall said he had reservations about random testing and queues of drivers waiting to be processed.

He added: "Having due cause is enough -- if an officer suspects someone of being impaired he can stop them.'' Transport Minister Wayne Furbert denied that a blind eye was being turned to drinking and driving.

He said: "The BMS paper is still before the Road Safety Council and they are in the process of drawing up recommendations.'' Mr. Furbert said random breath testing had not been discussed in detail by the Ministry -- but on-the-spot breath testing was on the cards.

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