Updated

The law should be changed to enable the introduction of random roadside breathalyser tests, the Malta Insurance Association said today.

Addressing a news conference this morning, association director general Adrian Galea said the police were not currently able to carry out such tests at random.

He also called for systems that would encourage motorists to take driving more seriously.

These should include a penalty points system, which was currently in effect only for the first three years of driving.

Such a system would see motorists take driving more seriously as accumulating points could lead to the suspension of one's license, he said.

Following a spike in accidents last month, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had said the penalties for drink driving would be reviewed and become more “draconian”. 

Eleven people have already died in road side accidents so far this year, and the number of injuries increased by nearly 30 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

“It is increasingly evident to us that more effective enforcement of traffic rules and regulations has become absolutely necessary,” Mr Galea said.

He said that while the association was on board with Dr Muscat’s calls for harsher penalties, this was not enough.

An overall legislative reform was needed to address lacunae in the enforcement system.

For instance, police were not obliged to conduct inquiries into a motor vehicle accident unless someone was injured.

“We have recently seen a very serious incident in which a car flipped over at night, however, no breathalyser test was carried out. This cannot continue,” Francis Valletta, MIA's Motor Sector chairman said, holding a photo of the overturned vehicle.