Government exploring whether road crash barriers can be made safer

Transport Minister Chris Bonnet has announced an exercise is underway to check whether the country’s crash barriers can be made safer.

He was replying to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Ivan Bartolo, who asked whether government was contemplating changing road crash barriers to establish whether they could be made safer especially for motorcyclists.  

The minister also said crash barriers currently being used are in line with security standards.

Following the fatal traffic accident of 35-year-old Shaun Coppola at the St Paul’s Bay bypass, the debate on whether traffic barriers on Malta’s roads were safe enough for motorcyclists arose once again.

In June 2020, a motorcyclist who lost his arm in a traffic accident was awarded €46,000 compensation from Transport Malta.

John Baldacchino suffered a 60% disability when his Yamaha XJR 1300 skidded into the guard rail as he was negotiating a bend in the road, heading towards Hal Far along Aviation Avenue in Gudja on 6 December 2014.