Drivers ought to respect cyclists and motorcyclists on the roads and left-hand drive trucks must disappear, the mother of a traffic accident victim has implored.
After the sudden death of her daughter Johanna in January three years ago, Josephine and her husband, Pippo Boni, have made it their life mission to increase awareness about the hazards of Malta’s roads.
According to Ms Boni, among them are left-hand drive trucks, similar to the one that took 27-year-old Johanna from them.
Motorcyclist Johanna Boni was crushed by a cement mixer in Labour Avenue, Naxxar, at about 8am on January 5. The 27-year-old was riding her Kawasaki ER6N to work when the accident happened on that fateful morning.
“I think trucks must be subjected to stricter checks. Trucks must not be loaded more than a certain amount. Left-hand drive trucks must disappear... those which come from abroad must have a co-driver because the blind spot is too dangerous. This is my biggest worry. They are killers on our roads,” Ms Boni said.
Left-hand drive trucks must disappear... those which come from abroad must have a co-driver because the blind spot is too dangerous.
The bad weather yesterday forced the postponement of the third memorial ride in honour of their daughter as the slippery roads were unsafe for bikers.
The ride, which will raise funds for the Simon Schembri Blue Light Foundation, will instead be held this Sunday.
Josephine and Giuseppe Boni yesterday returned with their daughter’s motorbike, which has since been repaired, to their daughter’s roadside memorial in Naxxar, metres away from where she was killed.
The memorial has been dismantled, due to roadworks in the area, but a new one was created a few metres down. The parents thanked the people who did this without their knowledge, especially Michael Portelli from Sign Services Ltd.
The parents are still seeking closure over the incident that robbed them of their only daughter on that fateful January day. They also never found Johanna’s Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone, which went missing from the site of the accident and which contained images, videos and messages which they are longing to see.