A stretch of road has been labelled a “death trap” after Bermuda's second road fatality of 2006 left a 77-year-old man dead and a bus dangerously perched above a 50ft drop into the sea below.

A number seven service bus almost rolled down a steep cliff on South Road in Southampton after being involved in a serious collision with a white Mazda car just east of the Fairmont Drive entrance to the Fairmont Southampton Hotel.

The elderly driver of the car, who lived in Warwick, was found in an unresponsive state after the collision. He was cut free from the wreckage of the car by firefighters and taken by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The bus driver and the sole passenger on the service from Hamilton to Barnes Corner were uninjured and were able to escape from the bus after it came to rest against some trees that prevented it careering down the coastal embankment on to rocks more than 50ft below at East Whale Bay.

The car involved was an older-style Mazda 323. It's front was extensively damaged and the car spun around as a result of the head-on impact, ending up almost facing backwards on its side of the road.

Police believe the car was heading east along South Road when it came into contact with the front offside of the bus around 10.40 a.m. It is not yet known if speed played any part in the crash. However, a resident who lives close to the scene of the crash, said the stretch of road that runs past the hotel had become dangerous as a result of people speeding and then having trouble negotiating the bends at either end.

Paul DeFontes said: “This stretch of road is a death trap. I'm not saying that was the reason for this accident, but a lot of people think it is okay to speed along here. The Police do come down and have a radar trap, which is good, but a lot of people still speed.”

He has seen two previous accidents where cars have flipped over and believes a non-slip traction surface should be laid on a S-bend a few hundred metres away. Last October motorcyclist Andrew Kemp was killed just beyond this bend at the junction with Cross Bay Road after clipping the kerb.

Mr. DeFontes added: “This stretch is becoming a frequent accident spot.”

Public Transport Board director Dan Simmons attended the scene of the bus crash and described it as a “very significant accident”. He said that, as a matter of standard policy, the bus driver would be interviewed and drug tested.

“We will have to wait for the result of that, but I do not anticipate it will produce anything adverse. We will hold our own internal investigation and take note of recommendations, if any, that come to light,” he said.

Mr. Simmons said the damaged bus would initially be impounded by the Police for examination, after which he anticipated it would be repaired and brought back into service.

Police have appealed for any witnesses to the crash to contact P.c. Eddie Smith of the Traffic Enforcement Unit on 299-4265.

The identity of the victim will not be released until next of kin have been notified.

Yesterday's fatality comes exactly two weeks after Bermuda's first road death of 2006 when teenager Ryan Burgess was killed after his motorbike struck a tree on Parsons Lane in Devonshire.