Bikes in a gymnasium? Believe it or not, three motorcycles were parked in the CedarBridge Academy gymnasium on Thursday, November 6. A "Road Safety Education and Fun Day" was held for the whole school for the whole day.

Kicking off the day was a presentation about Project Ride. Students 15 ½ years of age are eligible to participate, and can get involved by enquiring at the school or calling the Transport Control Department.

The CedarBridge faculty also invited speakers from different Government departments, including the Police and Fire departments and King Edward Memorial Hospital, to come out to speak with the students. The representatives gave a brief personal biography before speaking to the students on a variety of road safety issues.

Mr. David Minors, the Road Safety Officer from the Transport Control Department, spoke about the number of road collisions that had taken place over 10 years.

Mr. Minors explained that there were 30,877 youth collisions and scores of fatalities. Another speaker, Mark Bothello, who is an investigator of the road accidents that occur in Bermuda, said that there have been 511 people who have died in accidents since1962.

Two representatives from King Edward VII Memorial Hospital made students aware of the injuries resulting from road traffic accidents that have to be dealt with at KEMH. They encouraged their young audience to be more careful about how they ride and to think of other drivers by showing courtesy and caution. They also made students aware of the career opportunities for young Bermudians in nursing.

The presentations were very informative. They allowed students to stop and think about the dangers of driving unsafely and the ways careless driving put others at risk.

The "fun" part of the day involved a variety of activities on the Police field next to the school. Class advisors and their advisees competed in bicycle relay races.

Snacks were on sale and students relaxed to their favourite music. Students were also able to inspect the Police motorcycles on display in the gym and even sit astride them.