If just one person learns from Friday?s death of 21-year-old Scott Kozma, it will be enough, his grieving friends said yesterday.

The Spanish Point youth?s family friends Veronica and Chuck Renaud begged for Bermuda?s young people, particularly Scott?s friends, to slow down. ?Just learn that speed kills,? Mrs. Renaud said yesterday. ?This is the proof.?

Scott was pronounced dead by an on-call physician at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at 12.35 p.m. on Saturday. The collision which claimed his life took place at 10.45 p.m. the night before.

It is understood that he was speeding when he collided with a Police vehicle at the junction of Dundonald Street and Cedar Avenue. The Police vehicle, also speeding on the way to an emergency call, had its lights and sirens on, according to an independent witness who contacted yesterday.

Though rumours that the accident was the fault of the Police were already abounding in the community yesterday, particularly among young people, the Renauds wanted to set the record straight so that ? especially should Police attend Scott?s funeral ? the young man can be buried in peace.

There already seems to be a lot of animosity towards the Police among young people, the Renauds said. The couple had already heard the rumours of a Police cover-up, however they knew otherwise from having spoken with a witness to the accident ? and they wanted all Scott?s friends to know the truth also.

?It actually really, really was Scott?s fault,? Mrs. Renaud told yesterday. ?It was a stupid accident. He was trying to get somewhere he didn?t have to be.

?My husband thinks he was going so fast he probably didn?t even hear the sirens. The (witness to the accident) said he never even hit his brakes.?

According to what the Renauds have heard, the Police driver actually tried to swerve to avoid Scott, but both were travelling too fast.

The officer performed CPR on the spot, Mrs. Renaud said. ?They did everything possible. The Police did absolutely everything they could. They probably kept him alive long enough for us to get to the hospital to say good-bye.?

An independent witness to the collision told last night that she saw the bike ?maybe two seconds? before it hit the Police vehicle. She, also, wanted to emphasise that despite the growing rumours the collision was not the fault of Police.

?He hit and everything went up in the air,? she said. ?I keep replaying it in my mind.?

The Renauds? son Justin was Scott?s best friend from the age of three, and Scott had been living with the family for several months when the collision took place.

Yesterday, both Mr. and Mrs. Renaud were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support their family had already received from Scott?s friends ? and left in awe at the scope of their grief.

?These kids, they grieve differently from us,? Mrs. Renaud said, looking at a spray-painted tribute to Scott on Serpentine Road and describing how even the young men were crying for the loss of their friend.

?He never really knew how he was loved,? Mr. Renaud said.

?Last night we must?ve had 60 or 70 kids here. All I would like to see is for the youth to forgive and forget instead of fighting all the time. I would love to see Bermuda settle down and stop fighting.

?This was a reality check for those 60 or 70 kids.?

Mrs. Renaud agreed: ?If one person reads this and says ?okay, I?m not going to speed, I?m not going to take things for granted, I?m going to tell somebody I love them? ? I think the world would be a better place. I have no regrets. He knew I loved him and I was proud of him.?

Scott had begun a career with Bermuda Construction Services (BCS) and had already expressed to the Renauds how much he was enjoying the job. ?He?d found his niche, his path, and he?d just started walking on it,? Mrs. Renaud said.

?He and my son Justin were cut from the same cloth. He was very giving, a lovely person. Quick to stand up for his friends. My granddaughter loved him ? she wanted to marry him when she grew up.

?He had his faults, he would get mad and get in trouble, but he was young ? he was just a good kid.

?He made the choice to speed. It was a stupid choice. He killed himself, really.?

She added:?We told all his friends, before you pull back on that throttle, think, ?this is what Scott did?.

?Just for a second ? and he?s not here anymore.?

A Police spokesman extended condolences the young man?s family and friends while appealing for witnesses to the accident to come forward. Information has already been received by three independent witnesses, and Police anticipated a full report would be released in the near future. was unable to contact Scott?s mother last night. It is understood that his father lives overseas.

lIn a second weekend RTA, a 20-year-old Sandys man sustained head injuries after a collision with a jeep at 10:55 p.m. on Friday night. The accident happened on Middle Road in Devonshire. Last night the Sandys man was said to be in stable condition in the ICU. The driver of the Jeep was not injured but a passenger on the cycle sustained minor facial injuries. Witnesses are asked to call 295-0011.