Left-hand drive trucks pose an added danger on Malta’s roads, according to the Road Safety Council, but Transport Malta said there are no plans to ban them.

The total number of vehicles in Malta has exceeded 413,000, of which 647 are left-hand drive. A total of 144 are left-hand heavy vehicles, out of a total 52,000 heavy vehicles.

“I always said these are dangerous. Try driving abroad with your car, now multiply that in size and weight,” said Pierre Vella, who heads the Road Safety Council.

A Transport Malta spokesman said left-hand heavy vehicles are legal and there are no current plan to review legislation.

Left-hand drive vehicles are legal except for passenger transport vehicles, such as coaches and minibuses, which must be right-hand drive, the spokesman said.

Safety concerns about left-hand drive vehicles were raised following the recent court judgment in which a truck driver was cleared of criminal negligence in causing the death of 27-year-old Johanna Boni.

Carmel Cauchi, then 53, was driving a heavily loaded, left-hand drive truck down Labour Avenue, Naxxar when the tragic accident took place in January, 2016. The victim’s parents were “perplexed” by the court ruling and called on the attorney general to appeal.

Following the judgment, several people commented on social media about the danger of left-hand drive trucks, which, apart from the ones registered in Malta, include freight trucks coming from Italy and other countries.

Boni’s parents had spoken up about the danger of left-hand drive trucks on Maltese roads following the incident.

Back in 2019, Vella had said Malta’s roads are already busy, with more large trucks in circulation due to the busier construction industry. But the fact that a lot of the trucks are left-hand drive is making the roads even more dangerous.