Too many accidents: how safe are our roads?

Report by Andrea Rossitto 

Prospective drivers should be exposed to road safety and safe driving features before the age of 18, an NGO pushing for safety on Maltese roads believes.

“It would be great if we could get into talks with the Ministry for Education to recommend a driving education course at sixth form level,” Justice to Ensure Safer Streets (J.E.S.S.) founder Toni Ann Muscat said.

The NGO came into being after 22-year-old Jessica Tabone was tragically killed last year in a fatal car crash on Xlendi Road, Gozo. Tabone had been a passenger in a car that crashed head-on.

The NGO, which aims to introduce further education among young adults on road awareness, proposed that more traffic officers should visit schools and engage with students on how to stay safe on the road.

“By liaising with the Malta Road Safety Council, the Malta Police Force, Transport Malta, and the respective ministers our mission is to kindle awareness to the public in this regard, so that no other families go through the tough and saddening times Jessica’s family and mine had to go through.”

The Ministry for Transport is in agreement that creating responsible drivers starts from behind the class benches. “Road safety should be part of the students’ curriculum, well before the years they obtain their driving licence,” the ministry said.

Maltese roads have witnessed multiple road accidents this year, many of which turned tragic.

Figures provided by the National Statistics Office are grim: Malta’s roads have seen 4,331 accidents, 11 of which proved to be fatal. 34 persons, 25 of whom were pedestrians, suffered grievous injuries.

“With a soaring car population on an island where the road network cannot be extended, the expectancy of road accidents will definitely increase,” the ministry pointed out.

Concerned by the number of lives lost on the roads, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has pledged harsher action, calling on the Transport Ministry and relevant authorities to review traffic fines.

The source of traffic accidents is not just populated roads but also reckless drivers who still defy the system – be it by driving under the influence or texting while driving. Negligent drivers create a dangerous scenario, putting their own lives and that of others at risk.

Currently, the lowest local fine for drink driving is at €1,200. Also, drivers who ignore red traffic lights or use their mobile phones while driving are fined €100, while those who drive on priority vehicle lanes are charged €50.

In an attempt to address the rising number of traffic casualties, the authorities have come together and the Malta Road Safety Council was set up, which includes well over 10 entities and authorities, including the disciplined forces, Mater Dei emergency services, the Malta Insurance Association and the National Blood Transfusion Service.

A spokesperson for the transport ministry told MaltaToday that the council has successfully set up a living dialogue with direct entities that face road accidents.

“The council believes in tackling the problems with the specific entity. Usually, it discusses and meets according to existing circumstances primarily with associations of insurances, the Malta Police Force, and the CPD,” the spokesperson said.

Upon its inception, the council’s priority was that of tackling one of the biggest causes of traffic accidents: drink driving. The council introduced and distributed over 3,000 disposable breathalysers.

“The road ahead is long, however, our first campaign of disposable breathalysers propelled us into senior schools where we discussed the problems in relation to drink driving,” the spokesperson said.

The council has not just left an impact in schools, having staged numerous activities with children, but was also instrumental in setting up the 152cc bike permit.