Bermuda?s road death total for 2005 reached 13 early on Saturday when a 34-year-old man died after his motorbike struck a utility pole near Dockyard.

The latest fatality means this year is now the second worst year for road deaths on record with only 1998?s total of 17deaths higher.

Motorbike rider Ricardo Evangelista, who it is thought may be a guest worker, was named yesterday evening as the victim of a crash that appears to not have involved any other vehicles. The emergency services were alerted at 7 a.m. on Saturday to a report of a serious single vehicle crash on Cochrane Road in Sandys.

On arrival Police found Mr. Evangelista, from Warwick, and his bike near the junction with Malabar Road.

In a statement Police said it appeared the 34 year old had been riding his motorbike North on Cochrane Road when it lost control and struck a utility pole. Mr. Evangelista suffered serious head injuries and was taken by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where he died of his injuries at 7.55 a.m.

The Bermuda Police Service has extended its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Evangelista. Inquiries into the accident are underway.

This year?s death toll on the roads is now almost double the 2004 total of seven.