As finger-pointing and buck-passing ensue, lives and limbs continue to be lost on our roads.
Figures just released by the National Statistics Office show there were more traffic accidents in the first quarter of this year than the same period in 2022, though there were less fatalities.
In some cases, the recklessly irresponsible human element features prominently, as in the brutal death of Pelin Kaya, who was killed by a man on drugs shortly after cutting her 30th birthday cake last January.
That same element struck again last weekend when two Pakistani nationals on a bike died in a collision with a car driven by a man who, according to court testimony, had alcohol and drugs in his system.
The next day, Times of Malta reported the despair of a family of a pedestrian, who ended up severely disabled after being hit by a taxi, whose speeding driver walked away with a slip on the wrist.
The 50-year-old bank manager had just arrived for dinner with a friend when, as she walked on a zebra crossing, she was hit by the taxi doing 110 kilometres an hour. Its driver was then aged 20 and had drug problems.
Still, the presiding magistrate opted to be lenient, citing the driver’s age and drug problem.
This was a classic example of a court failing society and sending the wrong message to road demons.
At the end of the day, the application of these penalties falls on our courts
To the ordinary law-abiding citizen, justice was not done. Although the courts should not reflect public opinion, they must not indirectly send messages that you can get off lightly when blatantly putting the lives of others in danger.
The justice minister was correct when he commented that while the government was ensuring penalties reflect the realities and consequences, including when it comes to traffic, “at the end of the day, the application of these penalties falls on our courts”.
The prime minister then took up the cause with more directness, questioning whether the judiciary is applying sentences that reflect the grave outcomes of traffic accidents.
The bureau to investigate serious road accidents, promised by the end of this year, may help prevent future ones, as could raising the fines for dangerous driving. But this is only part of the solution. Harsh penalties can only serve as a deterrent if all the rules are scrupulously enforced and infringements properly punished.
While mercy is an aspect of justice, overly lenient sentences only accentuate the lethargy of the authorities in dealing with the issue of road safety, or the lack of it.
Stiffer penalties for traffic offences on paper are only one step in the right direction, as Adrian Galea, director general of the Malta Insurance Association, has acknowledged.
Road safety is a complex issue requiring a multifaceted approach, he argues. The most pressing issue “is the need for better enforcement of traffic regulations”.
It is glaringly obvious that the enforcement of traffic rules and regulations needs to get far more serious.
Effective enforcement encourages responsible behaviour and safe practices on roads, gradually contributing to a culture of safety. Sadly, most road educational campaigns have failed, so there is no choice but to come down tough on lawbreakers.
Too many people are still getting maimed, even killed because of too many road cowboys. If enforcement has always been essential, it has now become critical.