A proposal to install safety railings near the site where a woman plunged to her death in a horrific quad bike accident at Wied Il-Mielaħ, in Gozo was previously rejected due to the visual impact on the area.

Instead, warning signs are now planned for the clifftop site where Italian tourist Oriana Bertolino, 31, died on Saturday evening when the quad bike she was on plummeted into the sea below.

Long-serving mayor of Għarb, David Apap Agius, told Times of Malta the council had previously discussed with the Planning Authority installing safety barriers over concerns about accidents at the beauty spot.

“The discussions had failed due to the aesthetic and visual impact since that area is Natura 2000,” he said.

He said the council will now apply to erect signs near Wied Il-Mielaħ to warn people about the dangers of getting too close to the cliffside.

“It hurts to see accidents like this happen,” he said.

David Attard, the mayor of the neighbouring town of Għasri, said he had disagreed with the idea of barriers, arguing that they degrade the natural environment.

“It just takes common sense not to go to the end of a cliff,” he said, although he supports the idea of warning signs.

A magisterial inquiry is being held into the incident, which happened at around 8pm.

Driver jumped to safety

The police said the quad bike was being driven by a 47-year-old Italian man when it went out of control.

The driver jumped to safety as the vehicle crashed over the cliff edge but the passenger fell into the sea.

The shocking accident has also sparked discussions in the locality about quad bike safety.

“We have a quad bike problem here,” Apap Agius said. “It seems like it’s just an adventure for those using quad bikes. They don’t care about the rules, they don’t wear helmets sometimes and they also stand up on them.”

In the first three months of this year, eight people – three drivers and five passengers – were injured in quad bike accidents in Malta and Gozo.

19 hurt in quad bike accidents last year

Last year, there were 19 people hurt in quad bike accidents while there were 22 casualties in 2022, according to national statistics.

But Doctors for Road Safety said that it was difficult to interpret the figures without any detailed information as magisterial inquiries are confidential.

“Those most at risk on the road are motorcyclists and pedestrians, not people on quad bikes,” a spokesperson said.

“However, our research showed a tendency for quad bike accidents to involve foreigners and to occur in Gozo.”

The organisation also noted that the government had promised to establish a bureau to investigate road accidents by December 2023.

They said the bureau is “essential” to shed light on such tragedies and inform the public about what can be learned from them.

In December, the transport ministry told Times of Malta legal details were being ironed out to ensure the work of the safety bureau does not compromise the work of the magisterial inquiry.