Catering establishments join calls for random substance testing

The Association of Catering Establishments (ACE) has joined a chorus of voices calling for the introduction of random drug and alcohol tests of motorists.  

Currently, police can only breathalyse drivers if they have "reasonable suspicion" that drivers are under the influence. Police are only equipped with alcohol breathalysers. 

Calls for a change in legislation have been amplified in recent weeks following a series of fatal or serious crashes involving alcohol or drug-impaired drivers.  

The association referred to “alarming” data compiled in 2022 by the Insurance Association Malta, which is also in favour of random testing, that revealed breathalyser tests were only used in around three per cent of serious traffic accidents. 

“This data clearly highlights the need for a revision in the current legislation,” ACE said. 

The organisation referred to a recent opinion piece published in Times of Malta by emergency doctor Jonathan Joslin, who wrote that members of parliament would bear moral responsibility for future road deaths involving drugs and alcohol should the law remain unchanged.

ACE added that it also supported calls by Caritas for strict ID card checks in supermarkets, groceries and catering establishments. 

“Above all, ACE also supports the recent call for a public education campaign aimed at clarifying the risks associated with alcohol consumption and driving to remind the public that any amount of alcohol in the bloodstream can impair their ability to drive safely.” 

The association stressed that road safety is a collective effort which calls on government, legislators, political parties, civil society and individuals to ensure safer roads, better enforcement and fewer deaths. 

On Monday, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association also came out in support of revising laws to allow police to conduct random substance testing. 

"MHRA stresses that for a country like Malta, where tourism is a cornerstone of the economy, safety is not optional; it is essential," the association said. 

In a recent inquiry into the death of a motorcyclist who was found to have cocaine in his system, Magistrate Joe Mifsud endorsed a 2023 position paper co-written by NGO Doctors For Road Safety, the Maltese Association of Psychiatry and the Foundation for Welfare Services on drug-driving under the influence of psychoactive drugs.  

Mifsud endorsed each of the paper’s eight recommendations, including the introduction of a legal framework to enable random drug testing for psychoactive substances, as well as the random screening of professional drivers, such as taxi, school bus, coach and heavy machinery drivers.