Policing the roads

One welcomes moves to improve safety on the roads.

Making the use of seat-belts mandatory in both the front and back seats is damage limitation. The most effective way to reduce injuries is obviously to prevent accidents in the first place. Most accidents are caused by bad driving - something at which we Maltese excel - the underlying reason being our inability to coordinate the actions of hands, feet, eyes and brain - all with due regard to the state of the road, other users and the weather conditions.

Whether you put this down to carelessness, selfishness, stupidity, ineptitude or bloody-mindedness, legislation alone will not change us. Competent policing, and enforcement of the laws we already have, might.