drink-driving after new figures showed a sharp rise in arrests.

Breath test failures were also up on 1997 statistics and officers said more and more drivers were refusing to be tested.

Official figures released yesterday by the Bermuda Police Service showed the force made 340 drink-drive arrests in 1998. There were 292 arrests in 1997.

Of those stopped by Traffic Police last year, 197 failed a breath test, 52 passed but 91 refused even to blow into the hi-tech alco-analysers.

Police said 74 people refused breath tests in 1997, while there were 184 breath test failures.

The latest figures also revealed Bermuda's motorists were still drinking heavily before getting behind the wheel.

The average failure rate was more than twice the legal drink-drive limit at 175.9 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. It is illegal to drive if you register more than 80 milligrammes of alcohol.

And drink-driving caused 89 accidents, two of which proved fatal.

A Police Service spokesman said: "It is obviously very disappointing that the number of people arrested in relation to alco-analyser use has increased within the last 12 months.

"And as a result of that it is obviously understandable that the number of people failing these tests has also increased.

"This will lead us to believe that the public are not heeding the pleas from the Bermuda Police Service to abstain from drink-driving by using either public transport and/or designated drivers, or by leaving their vehicles at home.'' He added: "A more significant worry to the Police is the number of people who, having been arrested on suspicion of driving whilst impaired, have refused to take the test.

"Last year, the number of people who refused was 91 compared to 74 from the year before and this would obviously lead us to believe that the people refusing to take the test are doing so because they have obviously consumed too much alcohol.'' The 1998 figures showed drivers most likely to be arrested were in their 20s or 30s. But just 27 of those arrested were women.

Five taxi drivers were arrested on suspicion of drink-driving, 205 bikes were pulled over, 110 cars, 12 vans, five trucks and three other vehicles.

Most drink-drive arrests were made at weekends and between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Cabinet Ministers are due to discuss proposals by the Road Safety Council for a "zero-tolerance'' on drink-driving.

The Council called for the hardline action last month, outlawing any alcohol consumption before driving.