21-year-old man was killed in a road accident.

The Wor. Cheryl Ann Mapp suggested that Government consider legislation to make seatbelts compulsory.

Mrs. Mapp was backing a Police recommendation following the death of Mr.

Jerome Belboda, 21, of Gatehouse Park, Southampton, who was killed when he crashed at high speed through a fence in Southampton, in February.

He failed to negotiate a bend on Middle Road and his car flattened a Belco pole, smashed through a fence and careered down an embankment.

Mr. Belboda suffered terrible facial injuries when the four-by-four railing from the fence smashed through the engine compartment and the dashboard of his car. But the impact also broke his neck, which proved to be the cause of his death.

During the second day of the inquest, the Coroner's Court heard evidence from Police officers investigating the tragedy.

Investigating officer Insp. Stanley Hill's concluded that Mr. Belboda had dropped a friend off at Scott's Hill Road in Sandys around 4 a.m. on the morning of February 28.

The red Suzuki car he was driving was seen to be travelling at 60-65 kph by three witnesses, including Police Sgt. Patrick Hamlett, on Middle Road.

Insp. Hill said: "It appeared to gain speed on the downgrade. Sgt. Hamlett lost sight of the car and then saw a flash which appears to have been the car leaving the road and hitting the utility pole.

"It appears the car hit the guard rail, hit the pole, turned over onto the tarmac leading down to the field and landed in the field in the opposite direction.'' Sgt. Hamlett had given evidence that he began to chase the Suzuki but had given up the chase because he felt the road conditions were unsafe to continue.

Accident investigation officer Sgt. Charles Mooney calculated from pieces of fence which had been thrown 18 to 20 feet into the field by the force of the car's impact that it had been travelling at 67 k.p.h.

A trained motor instructor, Sgt. Mooney backed Sgt. Hamlett's story that he slowed down and gave up the chase. He said: "Police drivers always have to travel bearing in mind safety for others and themselves.' Insp. Hill recommended that seatbelts become mandatory. He said: "If Mr.

Belboda had been wearing a seatbelt his life might have been spared.'' Lawyer for Mr. Belboda's family, Mr. Michael Scott expressed concerns over contradictions in evidence between Sat. Hamlett and other witnesses.

Mrs. Mapp said there was no evidence that Mr. Belboda knew he was being chased by a Police car.

She concluded that he had died in a single vehicle road traffic accident after travelling at high speed.

She suggested that legislation be pursued to make the wearing of seatbelts mandatory in the future to prevent some avoidable injuries and fatalities in accidents.