Christmas by confiscating car keys from friends and family under the influence.

National Traffic Coordinator Acting Chief Insp. Charles Mooney said others should act on the behalf of people who had drunk too much to remain responsible.

And he said if that meant parents, wives or girlfriends hiding or taking car keys, then so be it.

The senior Police officer spoke after releasing drink-driving figures for the last five years predicting that this year will be among the highest.

He said drink was linked to a large number of road traffic accidents on the Island, some of them fatal, and said every time somebody took control of their vehicle under the influence they were dicing with death.

Acting Chief Insp. Mooney said: "We would hope that everyone would be sensible and take the keys from friends and family who have been drinking.

"It is a joint responsibility and people should look after each other.

"Peer pressure is important. If people feel there is a stigma attached, they will think twice before doing it.

"Everyone should be involved in the reduction of drink driving.'' The officer said Bermuda was on course to reach its usual drink drive figures this year, having already clocked up 149 people who failed a breathalyser test in the first three quarters of the year, and a further 67 who refused to take the test.

During the last five years, the drink drive figures have remained much the same even as the number of registered vehicles on the roads has risen.

Acting Chief Insp. Mooney said with additional traffic Police on the roads this year, there was a greater chance for offenders to be caught.

He added: "We have put traffic out to the divisions now, which gives us better coverage Island-wide.

"It is up to the divisions how they use the officers, but they can be operating radar, using laser or basically monitoring the traffic laws.

"Looking at the last five years there has not been a great deal of variance -- the number of vehicles suspected of having a drink driver at the wheel is about 300 each year.

"Based on our quarterly figures so far, I would say this year we will be up in the higher range, especially as we are now up to strength, so we have more people to spot the suspects.'' He said some people still thought it was acceptable for them to drive under the influence, but the worst culprits were men aged between 22 and 40 and the majority were caught between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

"Some people are not getting the message, but the majority realise that drink driving is not socially acceptable,'' he added. "There is no loss of manliness now for people to go into a bar and order an orange juice or coke, and the designated driver scheme works very well.

"There is no reason for people to drink and drive. The two should not be mixed -- it's a dangerous cocktail.

"Hopefully, we will get through this holiday period without any more serious road accidents.

"We have had five fatalities on the roads this year, which is five too many.

We want to have a safe Christmas and New Year and ask everyone to play their part.'' CHART