yesterday.

The Wor. John Judge "strongly recommended'' compulsory seat belts after completing an inquest into the death of Mr. Vernon Johnson of Sandys.

Mr. Johnson, 63, died on May 18 from severe head injuries 13 days after a single-vehicle collision on Somerset Road.

Mr. Judge ruled the death accidental.

Mr. Johnson, a courier for the MarketPlace supermarkets, was driving a company van at about 5.45 p.m. when he suddenly left the road, struck the wall of St.

James Church, and smashed into a telephone pole.

The inquest was told Mr. Johnson was "a conscientious driver who never exceeded the speed limit,'' and Mr. Judge said the cause of the crash remained "unexplained''.

But two witnesses testified a seat belt likely would have saved Mr. Johnson's life.

Police Sgt. Charles Dorrington said: "If the driver had been wearing a seat belt, he may well have come out of the accident with very minor injuries, if any injuries at all.'' Dr. John Winwick, the consulting pathologist at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital who performed the autopsy on Mr. Johnson, expressed a similar view.

"There's no doubt that a seat belt would have helped in this case,'' Dr.

Winwick said.

The van Mr. Johnson drove was not equipped with seat belts, Sgt. Dorrington testified.

Mr. Judge made only one recommendation after the 90-minute inquest. "It is strongly recommended that the wearing of seat belts by all drivers and front-seat passengers in motor cars be made compulsory in Bermuda,'' he said.

It remained a mystery why Mr. Johnson's van left the road.

Dr. Winwick said he could determine no medical reasons for the man to lose consciousness. Mr. Johnson was "a relatively healthy man for his age,'' he said.

Sgt. Dorrington examined the van and found no signs of mechanical failure.

Mr. Johnson was unmarried. His brother Walter was among relatives who sat in the public gallery during yesterday's hearing.