Bermuda's road safety officer.

The suggestion of Mrs. Robin Heschel -- who lost her husband Robert after he crashed a rented cycle on Middle Road -- is to be discussed at the next meeting of the Road Safety Council.

"It seems to me that a more enclosed helmet would provide more protection,'' Mrs. Laura Smith told The Royal Gazette . "I would agree with Mrs. Heschel.'' The 54-year-old Pennsylvania woman said the helmet her husband was wearing when his cycle collided with a truck on June 1 "didn't seem to do any good''.

The "half helmet'' only covered the top part of his head, she said. The area where he suffered head and neck injuries was unprotected. "If he had been wearing a full helmet that came all the way down past his neck, there wouldn't have been any of the damage.'' Some Bermuda cycle liveries provide full helmets, while others do not. All meet present Government regulations, Mrs. Smith said.

Mr. Kim Swan, chairman of the Road Safety Council, stopped short of endorsing Mrs. Heschel's recommendation, but said her comments would be discussed by the council.

"It's a valid comment,'' Mr. Swan said. "It's not something that will be ignored, and it shouldn't be.'' Mr. Heschel, 64, a passenger on the cruise ship Meridian , died on Friday at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia after he was transferred there from Bermuda on June 5.

His 10-year-old granddaughter Leann was also seriously injured in the crash and is recovering in the US.