Bike rental boss Geoffrey Gibbons has said people should not exaggerate the risk to tourists hiring machines despite the two recent road deaths.

The Oleander Cycles general manger said his company had had a fleet of 1,250 bikes which were rented out 40,000 times last year.

?That?s just our company: The statistics are not being shown in a true light.?

Linda Elizabeth Inman 50, of Illinois died on Thursday following an accident near Mullett Bay in St. George?s.

The bike, driven by her husband who is still in hospital, hit a bus.

Bus driver Winston Saunders said the husband lost control of the bike.

Early this month, mother-of-three Rosemary Bigelow, 50, of Malvern, Pennsylvania was fatally injured when her rental scooter hit a tractor trailer on Middle Road as she left Paget Plaza.

Both tourists died on Oleander bikes, but general manager Geoffrey Gibbons said his staff took great pains to make sure riders were safe and those deemed unsafe were not allowed on them.

?That happens many, many, many times that people are told it isn?t the right thing for them to do.

?Some people don?t get more than two feet from an instructor before the instructor makes the decision.

?Staff are thoroughly briefed that they can make that decision.?

Others are given more instruction before being let loose on the roads.

?Obviously these are unfortunate events,? said Mr. Gibbons who revealed Mrs. Inman?s husband, who is still in hospital in a stable condition, had ridden to Dockyard that morning before heading back to St. George?s.

?He found his ship had sailed on him. Then he decided to go back to Dockyard to get on board the ship.?

Then the accident, which killed his wife, occurred.

Mr. Gibbons said he did not want to comment on the specifics of either of the recent fatal crashes until the inquests had been held.

But he said the deaths could be taken out of context.

He added: ?But I am not saying our roads are not as safe as they used to be ? which is unfortunate.

?It reflects the driving habits of the local population. I think we need to improve the enforcement of the existing traffic laws in regard to the way we all use the roads.

?Small offences, if nipped in the bud, will eliminate large ones.?

Police are appealing for eyewitnesses to Thursday?s fatal crash. Call P.c. Victor Fishington 295 0011.

Students and teachers at K.D. Markley elementary school in Pennsylvania are struggling to come to terms with the loss of teacher Rosemary Bigelow, the tourist who was killed two weeks ago while on vacation in Bermuda to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary.

Mrs. Bigelow and her husband, Ken, were riding rental scooters at Paget Plaza on Saturday, October 2 when the mother-of-three apparently lost control of her bike, riding into the path of an oncoming truck.

That Monday authorities at KDM, the school where Mrs. Bigelow was an instructional aide, wrote letters to the parents of their students informing them of the loss. Mrs. Bigelow had worked at the school for nearly four years. This year she was working most closely with first grade teachers and children.

The letter described Mrs. Bigelow as ?a valued member of our staff? who cared about the school community and was always helpful.

It also described her as ?a loving mother? to her three children.

?Teachers, staff, counsellors, social workers and administrators were available today to support your children as they come to terms with the loss of Mrs. Bigelow,? the letter stated.

The loss may affect some children more deeply than others, school authorities noted. It recommended talking to children about the loss and validating their reactions.

?Children at this age may worry that the same thing might happen to their family. It is important that we all work together to provide reassurance and security.?

Bermuda Police are investigating the incident.