of the Road Safety Council revealed yesterday.

But he warned research by the council showed this figure could be as high as 90 percent because information on alcohol-related accidents is incomplete.

Mr. George Morton also called for all drivers involved in fatal accidents to be tested for alcohol.

"Being in charge of any vehicle after drinking is probably the most minimised criminal offence in Bermuda. We are in absolute infancy when it comes to realising the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol,'' he said.

"At this point, we do not even have an offence on the books for causing injury of death by impaired driving. Without this, how can we ever measure the true cost of impaired driving to the community?'' he asked.

In a speech to Hamilton Rotary Club members, Mr. Morton urged drivers to stop pointing the finger at each other and take responsibility for their own behaviour.

"At least 80 percent of collisions are due to driver error,'' he said.

"Inattention, following too closely, overtaking improperly and entering a main road carelessly rank at the top of the list of causes of collisions.'' And surprisingly, he said, there is no hard evidence to show that speeding causes accidents, although speed does determine the severity of injuries incurred.

He also exploded the myth that youngsters are responsible for the majority of road traffic accidents in Bermuda.

While there has been an overall drop in road accident casualties since the 1980s he said, senior citizens are to blame for a growing number of them. But he admitted this could be attributed to an aging population with more elderly drivers on the road.

And half of all accidents involve 20 to 40-year-olds, even though younger drivers pay higher premiums.

"I guess what this shows is that it takes a few years of driving before complacency really sets in,'' he said.

A typical accident profile showed that male drivers in their 20s or 30s were most likely to have a collision during the evening rush hour due to inattention.

To educate Bermuda's drivers, Mr. Morton said a one-hour talk on road safety once a year was not enough.

Instead he called for a road safety education programme to be incorporated in school curriculums.

"Education is not limited to school-aged children. Looking at the accident data, we know that drivers are in need of education after they have been driving for a while.'' Possible suggestions he said were a driving school for repeat offenders and a campaign for the proper fitting and securing of helmets.

Mr. George Morton