Reckless, law-breaking, speeding motorists deserve to be hit where it really hurts: in their pocket and their pride. The heavier the fine and the more penalty points these ‘cowboys’ lose, the more effective the battle to make roads safer and somewhat stop the anarchy.
A leaked document contemplating heftier fines for traffic contraventions was recently making the rounds on social media. While it seems the document was still a work in progress, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia has confirmed that fines and penalty points will rise as part of a comprehensive road safety plan.
Indeed, this approach seems like the only way forward. Clearly, education initiatives alone have largely failed. However, it will also be important to empower police officers and officials from Transport Malta and Local Enforcement Systems Agency to exercise strict discipline. It would be better for an officer to tear up, metaphorically or literally, a young motorist’s driving licence than help pull his corpse out of some wreckage. Statistics show the roads have become much deadlier while drivers are more careless.
LESA data show that nearly 39,000 traffic contraventions were recorded over five years for handling the mobile phone while driving. It is clear that distractions from mobile phones are among the biggest causes of accidents these days. We have had more than 800 traffic accidents resulting in fatalities or injuries over the past three years, this year already setting a record of 22 deaths.
Of course, it would be futile – indeed an insult to responsible and disciplined road users – to have a tough new regime in place which is not scrupulously enforced or worse, that is subject to political patronage or interference. A detailed breakdown of the number of fines imposed and their value should be published regularly, preferably on a monthly basis. This could serve as a very effective deterrent. However, the effort must go beyond reining in irresponsible motorists. They are not the only ones who make roads dangerous.
It would be futile to have a tough new regime in place which is not scrupulously enforced, or worse, that is subject to political patronage or interference
“How many more tragedies are we willing to allow on our roads because of negligence? How many more lives are we going to destroy before we start taking health and safety regulations seriously,” said a cyclist, who was almost killed a month ago. He was riding his bicycle close to the airport when he hit a newly-built ‘ramp’ in a poorly-lit road.
Though to the cyclist it was a “low obstruction”, Malta International Airport described it as a “ramp” covered by a planning permit. This could indicate that the permit-issuing authority for some reason failed to evaluate the potential hazards involved. Former prime minister Alfred Sant was among the many motorists who described road signage related to works close to the airport as “primitive and dangerous”.
Infrastructure Malta said it understood the inconvenience that major projects caused, also taking note of the calls made for better lighting and signage in such instances.
It is precisely the attitudes adopted by state entities that also contribute to making roads more dangerous. The point raised by the cyclist almost killed by a ‘ramp’ and the complaints raised by Sant are not mainly about ‘inconvenience’ but about a clear and present danger.
How often have we heard of such entities, including local councils, trying to shrug off legal responsibility when faced by lawsuits following road accidents?
It is not only ‘cowboys’ that must shoulder full responsibility for their daring actions but also ‘sheriffs’, state entities, perhaps regulators too, unable to distinguish between inconvenience and lethal hazards.