As the association representing local insurers and as active participants within the Malta Road Safety Council, the Malta Insurance Association (MIA) is becoming ever more concerned at reports in the media about road safety and the apparent lack of commitment from the authorities.
Road safety is not a cliché which is given attention momentarily and only when it is convenient for policymakers to do so, such as the annual campaigns launched just before the festive season. It is worrying to note, for instance, the complete lack of any reference to this issue in the two main parties’ political manifestos in the last election.
The MIA regularly engages in discussions with the authorities in an effort to see effective changes taking place. Our members feel that it is their duty to contribute to real improvement in road safety, and although some cynics will say that this is because insurers will benefit financially from having less claims, it is worth remembering that at a time where inflation has had an impact on practically every economic sector, it is in everyone’s interest that the financial cost of road accidents is reduced.
As evidence of this commitment, the MIA had strongly advocated for the introduction of a demerit point system locally, for a reduction in alcohol levels and, on a practical level, donated 15 breathalyser kits to the police for them to use (and the only ones available to the police to date) in the prevention of drink driving.
The last reported national statistics concerning the number of breathalyser tests carried out dates back to 2018, when, during that year, 165 tests were conducted. When considering that 15 kits were donated, 165 tests in one year works out at an average of 11 tests per kit, per year, which is less than one test a month. Readers can reach their own conclusion as to whether this is sufficient or not.
More worryingly is the fact that driving under the influence of drugs is against the law, as much as drink-driving is. The difference is that the law does not, unlike for alcohol, specify any limits for drug use, contains no proper definition of ‘drugs’ and also has no provisions to determine how and what tests are to be conducted to determine drug use by the driver. It is perhaps no wonder that the police are not equipped at all to carry out roadside drug tests and needs to ask where such tests can be practically carried out.
The law does not, unlike for alcohol, specify any limits for drug use- Adrian Galea
Madame Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera was critical of this issue in her address at the MIA Conference on drink- and drug-driving in April 2019. This is what she said, as reported in the media: “The amount of accidents taking place on Malta’s roads should warrant more breathalyser tests being taken.” Three years later and sadly nothing has changed!
The objective behind that conference had been to take a snapshot of the situation in Malta at the time, and for us to engage with the relevant authorities so that we could propose and discuss the changes needed. Unfortunately, our proposals for changes in the law were never given the consideration they deserved, and at one point, very disappointingly, doubt was even cast on what the true intentions behind our proposals were.
With laws that need urgent updating, and no real commitment towards proper enforcement to bring true change in the driver’s attitude towards road safety, one cannot have much confidence of any improvement and a drop in fatalities and injuries. The accident data from the first few months of this year are evidence of this, if any is needed.
If this level of indifference towards the changes needed remains, we cannot then complain when insurance costs and premiums start to rise; it will be an inevitable consequence of the lack of the required action.
Everyone stands to gain from better road safety and enforcement, not least the families of those who lost their loved ones and go through such sorrow and trauma. Our emergency and health services would be able to allocate their already stretched resources more efficiently; fewer beds will need to be taken up in hospital; fewer productive days are lost for those people involved in such incidents; and the flow of traffic would surely benefit from avoiding the congestions that inevitably result.
This is why the MIA believes that the country would be much better served by having one single authority or agency dedicated entirely to road safety, rather than living with the current fragmentation of responsibilities among several entities which only helps to create confusion, lack of accountability and, ultimately, lack of enforcement. This is what other countries in the EU did, with great success.
The authorities need to understand and accept that there are people and organisations such as ours who are very willing to help tackle this issue and to come up with ideas as to the changes needed. It is high time the government and all the authorities start to listen, and more importantly, to act.
Adrian Galea is director general of the Malta Insurance Association.