A driver has been caught speeding at 150 kilometres per hour in a 60 kilometres per hour zone in Mellieħa.

The home affairs ministry said the speeding car was clocked on Triq il-Marfa – the main road that leads to Ċirkewwa – by police using speed guns.

It happened last month, shortly before Christmas.

Driving 15 km/h over the speed limit incurs a penalty of €100 and four penalty points on the offender’s licence.

Police said that “appropriate legal action” was taken.

Police carrying out inspections. Photo: Malta Police Corps Communications Office

This was not an isolated incident. In December, officers caught 53 other drivers driving between 100km/h and 150km/h on roads where the speed limit is either 60km/h or 70km/h.

In May 2023, the government introduced new traffic measures that increased the fine for driving 15km/h above the speed limit from €69.88 to €100.

The changes also include handing out €200 fines and nine penalty points for people caught using their phone while driving.

More ‘regular and consistent’ enforcement

A spokesperson for Doctors for Road Safety (D4RS) called for “regular and consistent” enforcement.

“Ultimately, even if the fines and point deductions are harsher, what matters more is that offenders expect to be apprehended if they break the law by overspeeding,” it said.

“As doctors, we see these events on a daily basis in our emergency room, operating theatres, and in some cases the mortuary. Those who disrespect speed limits should be apprehended and face the consequences,” he added.

The NGO also criticised the traffic fines, highlighting the “minor differences” in penalties for exceeding the speed limit by less or more than 15 km/h.

The festive season is always a busy period for police presence on the road. 

Those who disrespect speed limits should be apprehended and face the consequences- Spokesperson for Doctors for Road Safety

Police presence on Malta’s roads saw officers issuing over 400 traffic charges and fines during the festive period. In the 10 days between December 22 and 31, police officers carried out 170 road checks, stopping 4,700 vehicles and issuing more than 400 fines. 

Over 85 speeding tickets were issued thanks to gun inspections, while 11 drivers tested positive during a breathalyser test. 

There were several serious traffic accidents in December, including two fatal accidents.

Motorcyclist Dieter Vink was killed when his bike collided with a skip parked in the road on St Paul’s Bay bypass on December 11.

On Christmas Eve, bus driver Hussein Shah died from the injuries he sustained days earlier in a traffic collision with a van on the Regional Road.