Just hours before former Road Safety Council chairman complained that young riders in Bermuda were "full of bravado" and had a "sense of the immortality", a 17-year-old led Police on a high speed chase through the streets of Hamilton and Pembroke.

After being spotted speeding on Church Street, the youth rode over sidewalks, fell off the bike and remounted it, forced one pursuing Police officer off his mootirbike and was finally arrested after colliding with another officer at the Barker's Hill roundabout on North Shore Road.

Police said Police chased the man on Church Street, where he ran through red lights and failed to stop for Police. Officers were in hot pursuit of the man when he lost control of his bike and collided with another Police vehicle at the junction of Victoria Street and King Road.

But the high speed chase was not over, the determined youth hopped up from the ground, remounted his bike and rode off. He sped through Hamilton streets, at one point driving on a sidewalk to avoid capture.

An officer on a motorcycle pulled up next to the youth while he was on North Shore Road and told him to pull over. The youth, who was clearly intent on escaping Police custody, chose to ignore the officer and swerve into the the Police vehicle. The unexpected move caused the officer to loose control and fall to ground.

The man continued on until he collided with another Police vehicle at the Barkers Hill roundabout in Devonshire.

Finally the young man was arrested after he lost control of his bike and collided with a wooden guard rail. He was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where he was treated for minor abrasions. He was released from the hospital soon after.

The 17-year-old Devonshire youth was arrested under suspicion of impaired driving.

The chase came in the middle of a grim weekend that saw 24 accidents were recorded on Bermuda roads injuring eight people, six of whom were still in intensive care last night.

Speaking at an awards event on Saturday night, Dr. Joseph Froncioni , the former Road Safety Chairman, said the Island had a "major problem" on the roads. He reiterated that the Island desperately needed an extensive compulsory bike training course for first-time drivers.

At the moment 16-year-olds take little heed to road rules and bad habits picked up from friends when they ride Bermuda's roads, he said.