Plan A to make roads safer has evidently failed. Still, rather than moving on to Plan B, as the transport minister seemed to indicate, what is urgently required is setting ourselves firmly on a route to Vision Zero.
“It seems that Malta still needs to get its act together to guarantee road safety to road users, especially the most vulnerable,” an article on a recent edition of the Malta Medical Journal observed.
The dire situation on our roads has now moved from worrying to terrifying.
The figures clearly bear that out but what has become truly alarming is that the authorities appear to have little idea how to try to stop the bloodbath.
Vision Zero, which seeks to ensure no more lives and limbs are lost on roads, remains… just a vision.
President George Vella described road fatalities as a “terrible stain”. The prime minister said the authorities are evaluating various measures to address the situation. This may well be what the transport minister was talking about when he said, just over three weeks ago, that a plan would be announced in the coming days.
The three medical practitioners who penned the article on the Malta Medical Journal noted that, in past years, there had been a declining trend in traffic accidents, “albeit with a surge at the time of writing”. It is now imperative the reason behind this latest surge is established in a scientific manner.
The authors feel that improvements in data collection and analysis should shed more light on the causes and solutions to prevent road accidents.
We are constantly bombarded by data on the number of vehicles and new roads. But how often do we hear or read about scientific studies about what works or does not work in traffic management and attitudes in this country? Also, technical conclusions drawn by court-appointed experts after serious traffic accidents rarely reach the public through the media when aired in open court.
Calls to have these published as a matter of routine have been made by various quarters along the years. Only the other day, the appeal was repeated by a man who lost his wife when her motorcycle skidded on crushed olives that somehow ended up on the road.
Aldo Lombardi rightly argued that knowing what caused an accident could be an eye-opener.
If need be, the law can be changed to allow the presiding judge or magistrate to order publication of the relevant parts of a technical report.
This is, indeed, a serious flaw in any real effort to address this unfolding tragedy. Many a potential air accident was avoided because the findings of previous disasters were published and directives issued to make the necessary changes, just to mention one sector.
Perhaps Transport Malta has too much on its plate and some form of a national transport safety body can be set up, even roping in the private sector. This could be modelled on the US National Transportation Safety Board.
This independent federal agency does not only deal with civil aviation accidents but also those involving other modes of transportation. It determines the probable cause and makes safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents.
Furthermore, it conducts research and coordinates the resources of the government and other organisations to help both victims and family members.
One hopes the transport minister’s ‘plan’ goes far beyond doubling the fine for using a mobile phone while at the wheel. We really need to start teaching the basics.