men died last week on Palmetto Road. It has been assumed that the two friends were killed as a result of pack racing but that is only an assumption because the public does not know. Whatever the cause of this terrible event of which we can make little sense, it has focused everyone's thinking, once again, on the youthful folly of pack racing.

Pack racing came to Bermuda in the early days of motorcycles. A great many otherwise sensible people who are now responsible adults confess freely to having been pack racers. That does not make pack racing desirable or acceptable but it does point out how deep seated this dangerous and destructive rite of passage is in this Country.

We are a people who do not want our young men to be killed. As a close-knit Country we do not like Bermudian families to be torn by grief. But there is something else, Bermudians do not want persistent danger on the roads.

In recent days we have heard suggestions that "Government should do something'' for young people which would stop pack racing. What should it do? As a Country, we do not seem to think young people should be frequently arrested. A few months ago when Police cracked down on young cycle riders in an attempt to identify "souped-up'' cycles, there was a public storm and clear political intervention. Altered cycles are an encouragement to pack race.

It has been suggested that we should have a cycle racing track and supervised racing. Organised racing, it is said, would allow young people to let off steam and give them something to do. The motocross track at Coney Island was created because it was seen as a means of cycle riders showing their stuff. It did not stop pack racing.

Supervised track racing would not, of course, prevent deaths because it would still be a dangerous sport. We can hear the complaints now. "Organised track racing is causing young Bermudians to die.'' There is a satrong feeling that supervised racing would only lead to more challenge pack racing on the roads to further explore the results of the track races.

Pack racing has an allure for young people because of the thrill and the speed and for the simple reason that it is a defiant act which flies in the face of adult authority. Supervised races provided by adults will be most unlikely to replace the adventure of challenging the pack.

We do not think the solution lies in more races or in supervised races. The solution, if it lies anywhere at all, lies in supervised young people. As parents we need to know where our young people are. As care-givers we need to convince young adults that reckless behaviour is a danger to them and a danger to others who may be totally innocent.

We cannot legislate how people grow up. We cannot decree that the adventurous young will not accept a challenge. What we can try to do is remove the rites of passage for our young people from the streets and from the thrills of danger and defiance. We need to convince our young that there is more to construction than there is to destruction.

In the meantime, two promising young men are dead. Two lives have been wasted.

As a Country we are sad and sorry and frustrated by the waste.